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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

A Colorimetric Assay of Citrate Synthase Activity in Drosophila Melanogaster
Published on: January 16, 2020
Highly selective and sensitive macrocycle-based dinuclear foldamer for fluorometric and colorimetric sensing of
Md Mhahabubur Rhaman1, Mohammad H Hasan2, Azmain Alamgir1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, 39217, USA.
Abstract:
The selective detection of citrate anions is essential for various biological functions in living systems. A quantitative assessment of citrate is required for the diagnosis of various diseases in the human body; however, it is extremely challenging to develop efficient fluorescence and color-detecting molecular probes for sensing citrate in water. Herein, we report a macrocycle-based dinuclear foldamer (1) assembled with eosin Y (EY) that has been studied for anion binding by fluorescence and colorimetric techniques in water at neutral pH. Results from the fluorescence titrations reveal that the 1·EY ensemble strongly binds citrate anions, showing remarkable selectivity over a wide range of inorganic and carboxylate anions. The addition of citrate anions to the 1·EY adduct led to a large fluorescence enhancement, displaying a detectable color change under both visible and UV light in water up to 2 μmol. The biocompatibility of 1·EY as an intracellular carrier in a biological system was evaluated on primary human foreskin fibroblast (HF) cells, showing an excellent cell viability. The strong binding properties of the ensemble allow it to be used as a highly sensitive, detective probe for biologically relevant citrate anions in various applications.
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