Comparison of protein immobilization methods with covalent bonding on paper for paper-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

In this study, two methods were examined to optimize the immobilization of antibodies on paper when conducting a paper-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (P-ELISA). Human IgG, as a test-capture protein, was immobilized on paper via the formation of Schiff bases. Aldehyde groups were introduced onto the surface of the paper via two methods: NaIO4 and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) with glutaraldehyde (APTS-glutaraldehyde). In the assay, horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-human IgG (HRP-anti-IgG) binds to the immobilized human IgG, and the colorimetric reaction of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzyzine (TMB) produces a blue color in the presence of H2O2 and HRP-anti-IgG as a model analyte. The immobilization of human IgG, the enzymatic reaction conditions, and the reduction of the chemical bond between the paper surface and immobilized human IgG all were optimized in order to improve both the analytical performance and the stability. In addition, the thickness of the paper was examined to stabilize the analytical signal. Consequently, the APTS-glutaraldehyde method was superior to the NaIO4 method in terms of sensitivity and reproducibility. Conversely, the reduction of imine to amine with NaBH4 proved to exert only minimal influence on sensitivity and stability, although it tended to degrade reproducibility. We also found that thick paper was preferential when using P-ELISA because a rigid paper substrate prevents distortion of the paper surface that is often caused by repeated washing processes.

Microfluidic Paper Based Analytical Devices for the Detection of Carbamate Pesticides.

Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µ-PADs) are a new technology platform for the development of extremely low-cost sensing applications. In this study, µ-PADs has been developed for quantitative determination of carbamate pesticides. Key experimental parameters including concentration and volume of acetylcholinesterase, acetylthiocholine iodide and 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid), incubation time and image capturing time were systematically optimized. Under optimal conditions, the method showed wide range of linearity (0.25-16 mg/L), repeatability (4%-5% RSD) and intermediate precision (7%-10% RSD). Limit of detection was observed to be 0.4, 0.24 and 0.46 mg/L for carbaryl, carbosulfan and furathiocarb, respectively. An acceptable mean recovery (87% to 94%) was observed for the three pesticides at 1 mg/L fortification level. The results reveal that the developed method requires minimal reagents, simple and is easy to handle. It can be used for the quantification of carbamate pesticides in resource limited laboratories without the need for the conventional analytical instruments.

Simultaneous separation of 17 anions by capillary electrophoresis with the addition of an organic solvent.

Seventeen inorganic and organic anions, that normally are insufficiently separated via ion chromatography, were completely separated by the addition of an organic solvent to a solution of BGE combined with an adjustment of the apparent pH via CE in combination with indirect UV absorbance detection. Methanol, ethanol, and acetonitrile were examined for their utility in manipulating the selective separation of anions. Methanol and acetonitrile were better modifiers than ethanol at enhancing the resolution of anions comigrating in an aqueous solution of BGE. Methanol was selected as the modifier that provided the largest separation window that could achieve a complete separation of the target analytes. Via the use of methanol, manipulation of the selectivity between inorganic anions and that between inorganic and organic anions was enhanced, but the separation between organic anions remained difficult when only methanol was used. By varying the apparent pH of the BGE in the presence of 10% v/v methanol, however, the separation selectivity between organic anions was substantially improved. Eventually, 7 inorganic and 10 organic anions were simultaneously separated using BGE at a pH of 6.3 in the presence of 10% v/v methanol.

Speciation of chromium in water samples using microfluidic paper-based analytical devices with online oxidation of trivalent chromium.

Speciation of chromium (Cr) was demonstrated using microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µ-PADs) that permit the colorimetric determination of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) via online oxidation. The µ-PADs consist of left and right channels that allow the simultaneous measurements of Cr(VI) and total Cr based on the colorimetric reaction of Cr(VI) with 1,5-diphenylcarbazide (DPC). For the determination of Cr(VI), a sample solution was directly reacted with DPC in the left channels whereas total Cr was determined in the right channels, which permitted online oxidation in the pretreatment zone containing cerium (IV) (Ce(IV)) followed by a colorimetric reaction with DPC. We found that the online oxidation of Cr(III) proceeded 100% whereas Ce(IV) inhibited the reaction of Cr(VI) with DPC. Therefore, speciation can be achieved by measuring the Cr(VI) and total Cr in the left and right channels followed by the subtraction of Cr(VI) from total Cr. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.008 and 0.02 mg L-1 for Cr(VI) and 0.07 and 0.1 mg L-1 for Cr(III) or total Cr, respectively. The linear dynamic ranges were 0.02-100 mg L-1 and 0.1-60 mg L-1 for Cr(VI) and Cr(III), respectively. The RSDs were less than 7.5%. The results obtained using µ-PADs were in good agreement with those obtained via ICP-OES with recoveries of 92-108% for Cr(III) and 108-110% for Cr (VI) using µ-PADs, and 106-110% for total Cr using ICP-OES. Thus, the µ-PADs could potentially be utilized for the speciation of chromium in developing countries where environmental pollution and the availability of sophisticated instruments are significant problems.

Laser-Induced Fluorometry for Capillary Electrophoresis.

Laser-induced fluorometry (LIF) has achieved the detection of single molecules, which ranks it among the most sensitive of detection techniques, whereas capillary electrophoresis (CE) is known as a powerful separation method with resolution that is beyond the reach of many other types of chromatography. Therefore, a coupling of LIF with CE has established an unrivaled analytical technique in terms of sensitivity and resolution. CE-LIF has demonstrated excellent performance in bioanalytical chemistry for the high-resolution separation and highly sensitive detection of DNAs, proteins, and small bioactive molecules. This review describes the CE-LIF methods developed by the author's group that include indirect and direct detection using diode lasers, post-column derivatization, and Hadamard transformation, as well as applications to the binding assays of specific DNA immunoassays of proteins and to the determination of anticancer drugs.

Acid-base titrations using microfluidic paper-based analytical devices.

Rapid and simple acid-base titration was accomplished using a novel microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD). The µPAD was fabricated by wax printing and consisted of ten reservoirs for reaction and detection. The reaction reservoirs contained various amounts of a primary standard substance, potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHPth), whereas a constant amount of phenolphthalein was added to all the detection reservoirs. A sample solution containing NaOH was dropped onto the center of the µPAD and was allowed to spread to the reaction reservoirs where the KHPth neutralized it. When the amount of NaOH exceeded that of the KHPth in the reaction reservoirs, unneutralized hydroxide ion penetrated the detection reservoirs, resulting in a color reaction from the phenolphthalein. Therefore, the number of the detection reservoirs with no color change determined the concentration of the NaOH in the sample solution. The titration was completed within 1 min by visually determining the end point, which required neither instrumentation nor software. The volumes of the KHPth and phenolphthalein solutions added to the corresponding reservoirs were optimized to obtain reproducible and accurate results for the concentration of NaOH. The µPADs determined the concentration of NaOH at orders of magnitude ranging from 0.01 to 1 M. An acid sample, HCl, was also determined using Na2CO3 as a primary standard substance instead of KHPth. Furthermore, the µPAD was applicable to the titrations of nitric acid, sulfuric acid, acetic acid, and ammonia solutions. The µPADs were stable for more than 1 month when stored in darkness at room temperature, although this was reduced to only 5 days under daylight conditions. The analysis of acidic hot spring water was also demonstrated in the field using the µPAD, and the results agreed well with those obtained by classic acid-base titration.

Adsorption enrichment integrated with paper-based devices for detection of trace levels of hexavalent chromium in water samples.

In the present study, a sensitive microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µ-PADs) integrated with adsorption enrichment procedure was developed to analyze Cr(VI) in water samples. The affecting factors, including pH and amounts of reagents were optimized. The limit of detection of 0.0015 mg L-1 and linear range of 0.005-2 mg L-1 were achieved with good intra- and inter-day precision of 5.1 and 7.6% RSD, respectively. The results obtained by the proposed method were validated by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The recoveries of the present method and ICP-OES were ranged from 96.3 to 109.0‬% and 106.0 to 109.7%, respectively. The two sets of (µ-PADs and ICP-OES) results were in a good agreement as paired t-test indicated no significant differences. The proposed method could be utilized for analyzing trace levels of Cr(VI) in water samples in the absence of conventional analytical instruments.

Discrimination of glycoproteins via two-color laser-induced fluorescence detection coupled with postcolumn derivatization in capillary electrophoresis.

Here, we report a novel method consisting of capillary electrophoretic separation followed by two-color LIF detection with postcolumn derivatization. The method can be used to discriminate glycoproteins in a protein mixture containing both glycosylated and unglycosylated proteins. The detector permitted simultaneous measurements of two electropherograms obtained by 450 nm (diode laser) and 532 nm (Nd:YAG laser) lasers excited native proteins following postcolumn derivatization with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde and concanavalin A (Con A) labeled with tetramethylrhodamine (rhodamine-labeled Con A), respectively. So, a protein can be assigned as glycosylated if it shows a peak at the same migration time in both electropherograms. According to the proposed principle, in a single run we discriminated a glycosylated protein (thyroglobulin) from an unglycosylated protein (albumin) in the presence of rhodamine-labeled Con A. Because the methodology permits the simultaneous detection of native proteins and their complexes with a fluorescently labeled probe, it should have broad applicability to binding assays.

Optical collection of extracellular vesicles in a culture medium enhanced by interactions with gold nanoparticles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) exist in biological fluids such as blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid and are promising cancer biomarkers. Attempts to isolate and analyze trace EVs, however, have been a challenge for researchers studying their functions and secretion mechanisms, which has stymied the options for diagnostic application. This study demonstrated a collection of EVs that was enhanced by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) via the use of optical force. The collection system consists of an inverted microscope equipped with a CCD camera, a square capillary connected with a PTFE tube, and an Nd:YAG laser that generates optical force. The laser beam was focused on a capillary wall in which a cell culture medium containing EVs flowed continuously. Control of the surface charges on both the capillary wall and the AuNPs achieved the collection and retention of EVs on the capillary wall. The positively charged capillary wall retained EVs even after the laser irradiation was halted due to the negative charges inherent on the surface of EVs. Conversely, positively charged AuNPs had a strong electrostatic interaction with EVs and enhanced the optical force acting on them, which made collecting them a much more efficient process.

Separation and fractionation of glutamic acid and histidine via origami isoelectric focusing.

We demonstrated the fractionation of two amino acids, glutamic acid and histidine, separated via isoelectric focusing (IEF) on filter paper folded and stacked in an origami fashion. Channels for electrophoresis were fabricated as circular zones acquired via wax printing onto the filter paper. An ampholyte solution with amphiphilic samples was deposited on all the circle zones, which was followed by folding to form the electrophoresis channels. IEF was achieved by applying an electrical potential between the anodic and cathodic chambers filled with phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide solutions, respectively. A pH gradient was formed using either a wide-range ampholyte with a pH of 3 to 10 or a narrow-range version with a pH of 5 to 8, which was confirmed by adding pH indicators to each layer. The origami IEF was used to separate the amino acids, glutamic acid and histidine, by mixing with the ampholytes, which were deposited on the layers. The components in each layer were extracted with water and measured by high-performance liquid chromatography using pre-column derivatization with dansyl chloride. The results indicated that the focus for glutamic acid and that for histidine were at different layers, according to their isoelectric points. The origami isoelectric focusing achieved the fractionation of amino acids in less than 3 min using voltage as low as 30 V.

Development of Pipetteless Paper-Based Analytical Devices with a Volume Gauge.

In this work, we propose a new design for paper-based analytical devices (PADs) that eliminate the need to use a micropipette for sample introduction. With this design, a PAD is equipped with a distance-based detection channel that is connected to a storage channel that indicates the volume of a sample introduced into the PAD. The analyte in the sample solution reacts with a colorimetric reagent deposited into the distance-based detection channel as the sample solution flows into the storage channel where the volume is measured. The ratio of the lengths of the detection channel and that of the storage channel (D/S ratio) are constant for a sample containing a certain concentration, which is independent of the introduced volume. Therefore, the PADs permit volume-independent quantification using a dropper instead of a micropipette because the length of the storage channel plays the role of a volume gauge to estimate the introduced sample volume. In this study, the D/S ratios obtained with a dropper were comparable to those obtained with a micropipette, which confirmed that precise volume control is unnecessary for this PAD system. The proposed PADs were applied to the determinations of iron and bovine serum albumin using bathophenanthroline and tetrabromophenol blue as colorimetric reagents, respectively. The calibration curves showed good linear relationships with coefficients of 0.989 for iron and 0.994 for bovine serum albumin, respectively.

Sheath-flow electrochemical detection of amino acids with a copper wire electrode in capillary electrophoresis.

Here, we report the detection of native amino acids using a sheath-flow electrochemical detector with a working electrode made of copper wire. A separation capillary that was inserted into a platinum tube in the detector acted as a grounded electrode for electrophoresis and as a flow channel for sheath liquid. Sheath liquid flowed outside the capillary to support the transport of the separated analytes to the working electrode for electrochemical detection. The copper wire electrode was aligned at the outlet of the capillary in a wall-jet configuration. Amino acids injected into the capillary were separated following elution from the end of the capillary and detection by the copper electrode. Three kinds of copper electrodes with different diameters-50, 125, and 300 µm-were examined to investigate the effect of the electrode diameter on sensitivity. The peak widths of the analytes were independent of the diameter of the working electrode, while the 300-µm electrode led to a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio compared with the 50- and 125-µm electrodes, which showed no significant difference. The flow rate of the sheath liquid was also varied to optimize the detection conditions. The limits of detection for amino acids ranged from 4.4 to 27 µM under optimal conditions.

Band broadening of DNA fragments isolated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in capillary electrophoresis.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is used frequently for isolation and purification of DNA fragments. In the present study, DNA fragments extracted from polyacrylamide gels showed significant band broadening in capillary electrophoresis (CE). A pHY300PLK (a shuttle vector functioning in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis) marker, which contained nine fragments ranging from 80 to 4870 bp, was separated by PAGE, and each fragment was isolated by phenol/chloroform extraction and ethanol precipitation. After extraction from the polyacrylamide gel, the peaks of the isolated DNA fragments exhibited band broadening in CE, where a linear poly(ethylene oxide) was used as a sieving matrix. The theoretical plate numbers of the DNA fragments contained in the pHY300PLK marker were >10(6) for all the fragments before extraction. However, the DNA fragments extracted from the polyacrylamide gel showed decreased theoretical plate numbers (5-20 times smaller). The degradation of the theoretical plate number was significant for middle sizes of the DNA fragments ranging from 489 to 1360 bp, whereas the largest and smallest fragments (80 and 4870 bp) had no obvious influence. The band broadening was attributed to contamination of the DNA fragments by polyacrylamide fibers during the separation and extraction process.

Dip-and-Read, Organic Solvent-Compatible, Paper-Based Analytical Devices Equipped with Chromatographic Separation for Indole Analysis in Shrimp.

We developed an organic solvent-compatible paper-based analytical device (PAD) for the quantitative analysis of indole, which is an indicator of shrimp freshness. Although indole is insoluble in water, ethyl acetate is a suitable solvent to dissolve and extract indole from shrimp. The PADs are fabricated using a cutting method that allows the use of an organic solvent because no hydrophobic barrier is needed to form fluidic channels. Ehrlich's reagent consists of 4-(dimethylamino)benzaldehyde and p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde and was deposited onto the reaction zone of the PAD followed by lamination to prevent evaporation of the ethyl acetate. Samples are introduced into the PAD via immersion in organic sample solutions. When the PAD is immersed into an indole solution of ethyl acetate in a closed bottle, the sample solution penetrates the channel of the PAD and successively flows into the detection zone to form a hydrophilic colored product. The PADs provide a linear relationship between the logarithm of the indole concentration and the color intensity within a range of 1.0-20 ppm with correlation coefficients of r2 > 0.99. The limits of detection and quantification are 0.36 and 0.71 ppm, respectively. Relative standard deviations for both the intraday (n = 2) and interday (n = 3) precision were less than 2.5%. In the indole analysis of shrimp, the PADs separated the interfering orange-colored astaxanthin in the extract from the colored product of indole via the paper chromatographic principle. We used the PADs to investigate the degradation of shrimp, and the results showed a rapid increase in the indole level after 7 days. High-performance liquid chromatography verified the accuracy of the PADs by showing good agreement with the obtained indole levels.

N-Benzoyl leucomethylene blue as a novel substrate for the assays of horseradish peroxidase by spectrophotometry and capillary electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorometry.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is an enzyme that is frequently employed in various assays because HRP catalyzes the oxidation reactions of chromogenic and fluorogenic compounds to produce chromophores and fluorophores, respectively. The results of this study show that N-benzoyl leucomethylene blue (BLMB) is an excellent substrate for enzyme assay using HRP. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), HRP catalyzed an oxidation reaction of BLMB that produced methylene blue with a deep blue color. Thus, absorption spectrophotometry and capillary electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorometry (CE-LIF) could be used to easily determine the produced methylene blue. Under the optimum conditions, absorption spectrophotometry showed a linear calibration curve that ranged from 25 to 500 µg mL-1. The reaction conditions were also applicable to CE-LIF, showing a linear range of from 25 to 500 µg mL-1 with limits of detection and quantification at 2 and 6 µg mL-1, respectively.

Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices coupled with coprecipitation enrichment show improved trace analysis of copper ions in water samples.

The present study focused on improving sensitivity to trace levels of Cu(II) by subjecting microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µ-PADs) to a preconcentration process via coprecipitation using aluminum hydroxide. The experimental conditions were optimized for the pH of the coprecipitation, centrifugation, and amounts of reagents that were deposited onto µ-PADs for the Cu(II) assay. The resultant limit of detection reached as low as 0.003 mg L-1 with a linear range of 0.01-2.00 mg L-1. The relative standard deviations for intra- and inter-day precision were 3.2 and 4.6%, respectively (n = 9). Spiked water samples were analyzed using the µ-PADs after coprecipitation preconcentration. The results were verified by comparing them with those of inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Recoveries ranged from 97.1 to 104% and from 98.7 to 105% using the present method and ICP-OES, respectively. These results suggest that the simple, highly sensitive, and inexpensive proposed method would be helpful for analyzing trace levels of Cu(II) in water samples in poorly equipped laboratories.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with microfluidic paper-based analytical device for the determination of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides in the water sample.

A microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µ-PAD) is a promising new technology platform for the development of extremely low-cost sensing devices. However, it has low sensitivity that might not enable to measure maximum allowable concentration of various pollutants in the environment. In this study, a dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was developed as a preconcentration method to enhance the sensitivity of the µ-PAD for trace analysis of selected pesticides. Four critical parameters (volume of n-hexane and acetone, extraction time, NaCl amount) that affect the efficiency of DLLME have been optimized using response surface methodology. An acceptable mean recovery of 79-97% and 83-93% was observed at 1 µg L-1 and 5 µg L-1 fortification level, respectively, with very good repeatability (2.2-6.01% RSD) and reproducibility (5.60-10.41% RSD). Very high enrichment factors ranging from 317 to 1471 were obtained. The limits of detection for the studied analytes were in the range of 0.18-0.41 µg L-1 which is much lower than the WHO limits of 5-50 µg L-1 for similar category of analytes. Therefore, by coupling DLLME with µ-PAD, a sensitivity that allows to detect environmental threat and also that surpassed most of the previous reports have been achieved in this study. This implies that the preconcentration step has a paramount contribution to address the sensitivity problem associated with µ-PAD.

Analysis of proteins in biological samples by capillary sieving electrophoresis with postcolumn derivatization/laser-induced fluorescence detection.

Previously, we have demonstrated postcolumn derivatization of proteins separated by capillary sieving electrophoresis (CSE), in which naphthalene-2,3-dicarbaldehyde was employed as a fluorogenic labeling reagent. Standard proteins separated by CSE were reacted with naphthalene-2,3-dicarbaldehyde in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) which plays a role of a reducing agent in the derivatization reaction. To improve the sensitivity, we attempted the use of ethanethiol instead of 2-ME. Ethanethiol showed 1.4- to 4.5-fold lower limits of detection for proteins than 2-ME. Furthermore, we found that 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (APTS) is a good marker for relative electrophoretic mobilities of proteins in CSE. Since APTS is a fluorescent and trivalent anion, it generates strong fluorescence and migrates faster than any of the proteins. Therefore, we employed APTS as a marker to obtain the relative electrophoretic mobilities of proteins. The present method was applied to the analyses of proteins in biological samples. Human Ewing's family tumor cell line 'RDES' was used as a sample. The cultured cells were lysed with a buffer containing Tris-HCl, NaCl, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and 2-ME. After denaturation, the lysate was directly introduced into the capillary. Several peaks, which would correspond to proteins with molecular mass ranging from 10 to 93 kDa, were found in the cell lysate. In addition, we measured a milk sample by the CSE with postcolumn derivatization. The electropherogram showed five major peaks which corresponded to α-lactalbumin, ß-lactoglobulin, κ-casein, bovine serum albumin, and mixture of α- and ß-casein.

Micellar electrokinetic chromatographic analysis for in vitro accumulation of anthracyclines enhanced by inhibitors of cell membrane transporter-proteins in cancer cells.

Cell membrane transporter-proteins have been partly implicated in lowering the accumulation of drugs in cancer cells, leading to multidrug resistance (MDR). Two cancer cell lines, A549 and RDES, were continuously exposed to subclinical concentration (250 nM) of anthracyclines and micellar electrokinetic chromatography was used to investigate their in vitro accumulation after treatment with inhibitors of membrane transporter-proteins. The four anthracylines [doxorubicin (DOX), epirubicin (EPI), daunorubicin (DNR), and idarubicin (IDA)] were separated within a short analysis time of less than 15 min in borate buffer (80 mM, pH 9.22) containing sodium taurodeoxycholate (35 mM), 2-hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (3.5% wt/v), and sodium dodecylsulfate (20 mM). Laser-induced fluorescence was used for detection of the anthracyclines. Three inhibitors, verapamil, cyclosporine A and probenecid, were examined by adding each inhibitor independently or two inhibitors simultaneously to the culture medium. It was found that independent use of each inhibitor leads to more efficient accumulation than combined use of verapamil and probenecid. In addition, the results show that effect of inhibitors on the accumulation of anthracyclines depended on type of cell: in RDES, inhibitors enhanced accumulation of all four anthracyclines, while in A549, inhibitors showed different accumulation behavior for each anthracycline. Generally higher accumulation of anthracyclines was observed in RDES cells than A549, as evidenced by dead cells (7-16%) after 24 h of continuous exposure to subclinical concentration.

Remote Investigation of Total Chromium Determination in Environmental Samples of the Kombolcha Industrial Zone, Ethiopia, Using Microfluidic Paper-based Analytical Devices.

Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µ-PADs) fabricated in Japan were employed for the determination of total chromium (Cr) in water, soil, and lettuce irrigated with wastewater in Ethiopia. The µ-PADs, which were printed by wax printing in Japan, were transported to Ethiopia and prepared for the determination of total Cr by adding appropriate reagents to the pretreatment and detection zones. Soil and lettuce samples were determined by the µ-PADs and a UV-Vis spectrophotometer in Ethiopia. A paired t-test showed that the mean total Cr concentrations determined in the soil and lettuce samples were not significantly different between µ-PADs and UV-Vis spectrophotometric analysis at the 5% level of significance. This implies that the µ-PADs have good accuracy and reliability, and could be employed to monitor Cr in environmental samples. We found that the total Cr concentrations in all soil and lettuce samples were above the permissible limit. Moreover, evaluating Cr contamination level using the geo-accumulation index indicated that the soils were contaminated with Cr moderately to heavily. Thus, the present work successfully demonstrated the potential of remote investigations of pollution in a less-equipped laboratory by transporting the µ-PADs fabricated in another laboratory.