Optical detection of choline and acetylcholine based on H₂O₂-sensitive quantum dots

In this paper, we have constructed a simple, rapid and sensitive biosensor for detection of choline and acetylcholine (ACh) based on the hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-sensitive quantum dots (QDs). The detection limit for choline was 0.1 μM and the linear range was 0.1-0.9 μM and 5-150 μM, respectively. The detection limit for ACh was found to be 10 μM and the linear range was 10-5000 μM. The wide linear ranges were shown to be suitable for routine analyses of choline and ACh. Possible mechanism of the fluorescence of QDs quenched by H(2)O(2) was an electron transfer (ET) process. The experimental conditions of biosensors were optimized, and anti-interference ability was also presented. We also detected the choline in milk samples and the linear range was 5-150 μM. The detection linear range of ACh in serum was 10-140 μM. Most importantly, the recovery of choline in milk and ACh in serum samples were both close to 99%. The excellent performance of this biosensor showed that the method can be used in practice detection of choline and ACh.