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Turn-Off Fluorometric Determination of Bilirubin Using Facile Synthesized Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots as a Fluorescent Probe

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Abstract

Bilirubin plays a significant role in human health management, particularly in the case of jaundice. Because of the need for the monitoring of bilirubin levels in jaundice patients, the development of a robust sensitive method becomes essential. Here, we describe the development of a highly sensitive and selective turn-off fluorometric detection method for bilirubin in blood serum samples using nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs). N-CDs was synthesized by the pyrolysis process, using citric acid and L-asparagine as the carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The prepared N-CDs solution showed highly intense blue emission with good stability. The HR-TEM image of N-CDs revealed spherical dot-like structures with an average size calculated to be 7.16 nm. Further, the surface functional groups of N-CDs were analyzed by FT-IR, Raman, XRD, and XPS techniques. Fluorescence spectra showed the maximum emission intensity at 443 nm (λex). The linear range of addition was performed from 1 to 150 µM, and the limit of detection (LOD) was determined to be 1.97 nM. The emission of N-CDs was quenched by Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) by adding bilirubin. These N-CDs showed extraordinary sensitivity and selectivity in the detection of bilirubin. Hence, this fluorescent probe has been proven successful in detecting the concentration of free bilirubin in human serum samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, The Gandhigram Rural Institute-Deemed to Be University, Gandhigram, Dindigul, 624302, Tamilnadu, India

    D. James Nelson, S. Abraham John & M. G. Sethuraman

  2. Department of Chemistry, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, Vandalur, Chennai, 600048, Tamilnadu, India

    N. Vasimalai

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D.J.N.: Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing N.V.: Investigation, S.A.J.: Conceptualization, Supervision Sethuraman M.G.S.: Supervision and Review.

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Correspondence to M. G. Sethuraman.

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Nelson, D.J., Vasimalai, N., John, S.A. et al. Turn-Off Fluorometric Determination of Bilirubin Using Facile Synthesized Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots as a Fluorescent Probe. J Fluoresc (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-023-03572-x

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