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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Use of Label-free Optical Biosensors to Detect Modulation of Potassium Channels by G-protein Coupled Receptors
Published on: February 10, 2014
A highly selective luminescent sensor for the time-gated detection of potassium
Aurore Thibon1, Valérie C Pierre
1Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455.
Abstract:
A terbium complex with long luminescence lifetime for the selective time-gated detection of potassium is presented. The complex demonstrates high sensitivity with a 25-fold increase in time-gated luminescence intensity between 0 and 15 mM potassium. The high selectivity of the complex for potassium over other physiological cations, and especially sodium (93 fold), is likely due to a favorable cation-pi interaction between a phenol moiety and the potassium ion.

