A Bifunctional\n“Two-in-One” Array for\nSimultaneous Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Identification\nof Low-FODMAP Diets

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a globally prevalent\nfunctional\ngastrointestinal disorder frequently misdiagnosed due to overlapping\nsymptoms with other diseases. Currently, there are no rapid and effective\ndiagnostic or therapeutic approaches for IBS. Despite this, low-FODMAP\ndiets (LFDs) have become a major dietary intervention strategy for\nsymptom relief. However, detecting FODMAPs usually relies on chromatographic\ntechniques, which are costly and time-consuming, making it difficult\nto apply in real-time detection. In this study, we introduce the first\ndual-functional sensor array capable of rapidly diagnosing IBS and\nidentifying low-FODMAP diets. This six-element array was constructed\nusing nitrophenylboronic acid-modified poly(ethylenimine) coupled\nwith coumarins through dynamic borate ester bonds across a range of\npH conditions. Optimized by diverse machine learning algorithms, with\nthe multilayer perceptron (MLP) algorithm proving optimal, the array\nenabled the simultaneous identification of 12 intestinal bacteria\nwith 99.2% accuracy and the detection of mouse fecal specimens with\nvarying degrees of IBS with 99.8% accuracy within seconds. Furthermore,\nit allowed for the detection of various FODMAP levels in commercially\npurchased, brand-named, and differently processed soy milk. The array\ndemonstrates potential for use in both the clinical diagnosis of IBS\nand the guiding of low-FODMAP diets for patients.