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Preparation of novel fluorescent probe based on carbon dots for sensing and imaging Fe(III) and pyrophosphate in cells and zebrafish

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Abstract

Ferric ions (Fe3+) and pyrophosphate anions (PPi) are involved in many physiological processes and play important roles in biological systems. The abnormal level of Fe3+ and PPi will cause serious damage to the environment and life. At present, the application of such probes in life, especially in vivo, is still very scarce. So, the development of a fluorescent probe to simultaneously detect Fe3+ and PPi has great significance to the health of the environment and organisms. Herein, nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CDs) were synthesized via solvothermal treatment, using biuret and citric acid as precursors. The synthesized N-CDs showed highly selective and sensitive detection of Fe3+ through a photoluminescence quenching effect. The fluorescence of N-CDs quenched by Fe3+ could be restored with PPi, rendering the N-CDs/Fe3+ sensor promising for PPi detection (‘OFF–ON’). The linear ranges of detection for Fe3+ and PPi were 3–30 and 2–12 μM, and the limits of detection were 2.71 and 1.12 μM, respectively. The practical applications of N-CDs were tested using tap water samples. Furthermore, N-CDs can be used for the detection and imaging of Fe3+ and PPi in HeLa cells and zebrafish owing to their excellent optical properties.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Open Laboratory of Major Scientific Instrument and Equipment, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Bio-Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Liying Jin, Xiaosong Wang, Xinyi Liu, Yuliang Jiang & Jian Shen

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  1. Liying Jin
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  2. Xiaosong Wang
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  3. Xinyi Liu
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  4. Yuliang Jiang
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Correspondence to Yuliang Jiang or Jian Shen.

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Studies on zebrafish were conducted with permission from the Ethics Committee, Qilu Health Science Center, and Nanjing Normal University.

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Jin, L., Wang, X., Liu, X. et al. Preparation of novel fluorescent probe based on carbon dots for sensing and imaging Fe(III) and pyrophosphate in cells and zebrafish. Anal Bioanal Chem 414, 7609–7622 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-022-04290-2

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