Development of a light-initiated chemiluminescent assay platform for rapid detection of multiple inflammatory...

The accurate and timely detection of inflammatory biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and procalcitonin (PCT), is critical for the diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases. Traditional immunoassays often suffer from complex workflows, long incubation times, and limited multiplexing capabilities, which restrict their utility in high-throughput or point-of-care applications. To overcome these challenges, we developed a light-initiated chemiluminescent assay (LICA) platform, leveraging the synthesis and functionalization of photosensitive microspheres and luminescent microspheres encapsulated with β-diketonate-Eu(III) complexes for the rapid detection of CRP, IFN-γ, and PCT. The LICA platform exhibited excellent analytical performances, achieving detection limits of 6.2 ng mL^-1 for CRP, 0.32 pg mL^-1 for IFN-γ, and 0.012 ng mL^-1 for PCT, alongside remarkable specificity and reproducibility. We further validated the LICA platform by analyzing clinical blood samples, and the results were in excellent agreement with those obtained using well-established clinical methods, with a correlation coefficient exceeding 0.9940. Mechanistic investigations revealed that singlet oxygen is the key reactive species driving luminescence, while efficient intramolecular energy transfer from the ligands to the Eu(III) metal center plays a critical role in the emission of luminescence. Our findings underscore the potential of the LICA platform as a transformative tool for the detection of multiple inflammatory biomarkers, particularly in scenarios requiring rapid, multiplexed detection of inflammatory biomarkers.