Paper analytical
devices (PADs) are a class of low-cost, portable,
and easy-to-use platform for several analytical tests in clinical
diagnostics, environmental pollution monitoring, and food and drug
safety screening. These devices are primarily made from cellulosic
paper. Considering the importance of eco-friendly and local or distributed
manufacturing of devices realized during the COVID-19 pandemic, we
systematically studied the potential of handmade Nepali paper to be
used in fabricating PADs in this work. We characterized five different
handmade papers made from locally available plant fibers using an
eco-friendly method and used them to fabricate PADs for determining
the drug quality. The thickness, grammage, and apparent density of
the paper samples ranged from 198.6 to 314.8 μm, 49.1 to 117.8
g/m
2
, and 0.23 to 0.43 g/cm
3
, respectively.
The moisture content, water filtration, and wicking speed ranged from
5.8 to 7.1%, 35.7 to 156.7, and 0.062 to 0.124 mms
–1
, respectively. Furthermore, the water contact angle and porosity
ranged from 76.6 to 112.1° and 79 to 83%, respectively. The best
paper sample (P5) was chosen to fabricate PADs for the determination
of metformin, an antidiabetic drug. The metformin assay on PADs followed
a linear range from 0.0625 to 0.5 mg/mL. The assay had a limit of
detection and limit of quantitation of 0.05 and 0.18 mg/mL, respectively.
The average amount of metformin concentration in samples collected
from local pharmacies (
n
= 20) was 465.6 ± 15.1
mg/tablet. When compared with the spectrophotometric method, PAD assay
correctly predicted the concentration of 90% samples. The PAD assay
on handmade paper may provide a low-cost and easy-to-use system for
screening the quality of drugs and other point-of-need applications.