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Biological pH sensing based on the environmentally friendly Raman technique through a polyaniline probe

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Abstract

The biological pH plays an important role in various cellular processes. In this work, a novel strategy is reported for biological pH sensing by using Raman spectroscopy and polyaniline nanoparticles (PANI NPs) as the pH-sensitive Raman probe. It is found that the Raman spectrum of PANI NPs is strongly dependent on the pH value. The intensities of Raman spectral bands at 1225 and 1454 cm−1 increase obviously with pH value varying from 5.5 to 8.0, which covers the range of regular biological pH variation. The pH-dependent Raman performance of PANI NPs, as well as their robust Raman signals and sensitivities to pH, was well retained after the nanoparticles incorporated into living 4T1 breast adenocarcinoma cells. The data indicate that such PANI NPs can be used as an effective biological pH sensor. Most interestingly, the PANI spherical nanostructures can be acquired by a low-cost, metal-free, and one-pot oxidative polymerization, which gives them excellent biocompatibility for further biological applications.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (61335011, 61675072, 61275187, and 21505047), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province of China (2014A030310306 and 2014A030311024), the Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province of China (2012A080203008), the Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Education Department of Guangdong Province of China (2013KJCX0052), and the Scientific Research Cultivation Fund for Young Teachers of South China Normal University (14KJ10).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & SATCM Third Grade Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Photonics Technology, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, Guangdong, China

    Songyang Li, Zhiming Liu, Chengkang Su, Haolin Chen, Xixi Fei & Zhouyi Guo

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  1. Songyang Li
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  2. Zhiming Liu
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  3. Chengkang Su
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  4. Haolin Chen
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Correspondence to Zhiming Liu or Zhouyi Guo.

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Li, S., Liu, Z., Su, C. et al. Biological pH sensing based on the environmentally friendly Raman technique through a polyaniline probe. Anal Bioanal Chem 409, 1387–1394 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-016-0063-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-016-0063-2

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