New method for morphological identification and simultaneous quantification of multiple tetracyclines by a white...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Tetracycline antibiotics pose significant environmental and human health risks.
• Accurate detection and quantification of multiple tetracyclines are crucial for risk assessment.
• Existing methods may lack the sensitivity or specificity for complex environmental samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive and selective method for identifying and quantifying common tetracycline antibiotics.
• To enable simultaneous detection of tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OC), chlortetracycline (CC), and doxycycline (DC) in environmental samples.
• To assess the potential interference from other common water pollutants.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of white fluorescent Europium/Terbium co-doped Carbon Dots (Eu/Tb@CDs).
• Application of Eu/Tb@CDs for spectrometric identification and quantification of tetracyclines.
• Validation using real water samples and competitive/selective experiments with co-existing pollutants.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of white fluorescent Eu/Tb@CDs.
• Achieved detection limits below 1 nM for TC, OC, CC, and DC.
• Demonstrated simultaneous and accurate quantification of the four tetracyclines in spiked water samples.
• Confirmed no significant interference from common water pollutants.

Conclusions:

• The developed Eu/Tb@CDs material provides a convenient and visual method for detecting tetracycline antibiotics.
• This technique facilitates the assessment of environmental contamination and geographical distribution of tetracyclines.
• The findings contribute to understanding the environmental impact and action mechanisms of tetracycline antibiotics.