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Published on: May 26, 2023
Rapid and facile ratiometric detection of an anthrax biomarker by regulating energy transfer process in
Yihe Zhang1, Bin Li2, Heping Ma2
1State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, PR China.
Abstract:
A ratiometric fluorescent sensor based on luminescent bio-metal-organic framework was prepared by exchanging both Tb(3+) and Eu(3+) cations into anionic bio-MOF-1. Due to a highly efficient energy transfer from Tb(3+) to Eu(3+) (>89%), emission color of Tb/Eu@bio-MOF-1 was orange-red even though Tb(3+) was the dominant content in this Tb/Eu co-doping material. More interestingly, this energy transfer process could be modulated by dipicolinic acid (DPA), an unique biomarker for bacillus spores. With DPA addition, corresponding DPA-to-Tb(3+) energy transfer was gradually enhanced while the energy transfer from Tb(3+) to Eu(3+) was significantly weakened. By regulating the energy transfer process in Tb/Eu@bio-MOF-1, visual colorimetric sensing of DPA in porous MOF was realized for the first time. Detection limit of Tb/Eu@bio-MOF-1 for DPA was 34nM, which was much lower than an infectious dosage of Bacillus anthracis spores (60μM) for human being. Besides, Tb/Eu@bio-MOF-1 showed a remarkable selectivity over other aromatic ligands and amino acids. More importantly, this porous ratiometric sensor worked equally well in human serum. These particularly attractive features of Tb/Eu@bio-MOF-1 made the direct, rapid and naked-eye detection of DPA for practical application possible.
