A glucose-sensing polymer

Abstract

We have prepared robust polymers that can be used to measure glucose concentrations in complex biological media. These materials offer the potential to develop continuous glucose monitoring systems as well as extremely inexpensive devices for 'spot' blood glucose level measurements. At alkaline pH, a porous imprinted polymer containing the metal complex triazacyclononane-copper(II) (TACN-Cu^(2+)) binds glucose and releases protons in proportion to the surrounding glucose concentration. The proton response is extremely rapid and provides a convenient measure of the glucose concentration over a clinically relevant range (0-25 mM). The inexpensive, robust metal-complexing polymer is sufficiently selective to provide an easily measurable response to glucose in porcine plasma. The polymer's ability to function at pH values as high as 12 (which deactivate enzymes but at which the buffer capacity of blood is small) makes it possible to design simple and inexpensive sensing devices based on measurement of changes in pH.