Trace-level detection of Dopamine (DA) in human body fluids is crucial for diagnosing neurological disorders, understanding mental health, and advancing drug discovery, but found challenging with rapid and low-cost detection technologies. Herein, an innovative paper-based photochemical method has been developed for the detection of DA using triangular silver nanoprism (AgNPrs), as an optical nanoprobe, in human blood plasma and urine samples. The redox reaction between DA and AgNPrs was evaluated through a color change at two pHs (5.35and 6.14), which can be analyzed by UV–Vis spectrophotometry and microfluidic paper-based colorimetric device (µPCD) with low limit of quantification of 0.01 µM. This study presents pioneering work with the potential to inspire the development of simple and effective on-site semi quantifying recognition devices for other neurotransmitters, requiring only a lightweight piece of paper and a single drop of the necessary reagent.
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