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Discriminative Sensing of Structurally Similar Neurotransmitters via In-TBAPy MOF Arrays
Ting He1, Penglei Shen1, Hui Xu1
1Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Optoelectronic Materials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, College of Optical and Electronic Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 27, 2026
Summary
A novel fluorescence sensing array using a single pyrene-MOF material accurately distinguishes between similar neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. This simplifies high-throughput analysis and reduces costs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Distinguishing structurally similar neurotransmitters is challenging due to overlapping chemical properties.
- Existing sensors often lack specificity or are complex to fabricate.
- A simplified, highly specific sensing approach is needed for neurotransmitter analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simplified fluorescence sensing array for accurate discrimination of structurally analogous neurotransmitters.
- To overcome limitations of single-probe sensors and multi-component arrays.
- To enable high-throughput neurotransmitter analysis with reduced cost and time.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a single pyrene-functionalized Metal-Organic Framework (MOF), In-TBAPy.
- Utilizing the monomer-to-excimer luminescence transition of In-TBAPy for sensing.
- Integration with Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) across four emission channels for classification.
- Performing mechanistic studies involving competitive absorption and host-guest interactions.
Main Results:
- Achieved 93.75% classification accuracy for serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), adrenaline (A), and norepinephrine (NA).
- Demonstrated robustness in simulated physiological environments and complex mixtures.
- Enabled reliable quantitative analysis within specific concentration ranges for each neurotransmitter.
- Identified differential quenching of monomer and excimer peaks as the sensing mechanism.
Conclusions:
- The single-material-based array strategy effectively overcomes cross-interference issues.
- This approach offers a high-efficiency, cost-effective solution for high-throughput neurotransmitter analysis.
- The developed sensing platform shows significant potential for practical applications in neuroscience and diagnostics.
