Ratiometric fluorescence detection of tyrosinase activity and dopamine using thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters

In this work, a sensitive and selective ratiometric fluorescence sensing platform was built for the detection of tyrosinase (TYR) activity and dopamine (DA) using glutathione (GSH) protected gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) as probes. Upon excitation at 350 nm, Au NCs displayed an intense red emission, which could be effectively quenched by quinones. TYR, a typical polyphenol oxidase, can catalyze the oxidization of DA to o-quinone and therefore quenched the fluorescence of Au NCs. Moreover, the reaction of TYR and DA gave rise to an emission band at 400 nm, which increased in a TYR/DA-concentration-dependent manner. The ratiometric signal variations were utilized for facile, sensitive, and selective detection of TYR activity and DA. A linear range was obtained from 0.006-3.6 unit mL(-1) of TYR activity, while the linear range for detection of DA was 1.0 nM to 1.0 mM. Additionally, it constructed a useful platform for TYR inhibitor screening in biomedical research.