A near-infrared turn-on fluorescence probe for glutathione detection based on nanocomposites of semiconducting polymer dots and MnO2 nanosheets

• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-020-02951-8
• Publication Date: 2020-09-15T21:02:33Z
• Authors: Cheng Zheng; Lei Ding; Yanni Wu; Xionghong Tan; Yongyi Zeng; Xiaolong Zhang; Xiaolong Liu; Jingfeng Liu
• Keywords: Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Polymers; Reproducibility of Results; Oxides; 02 engineering and technology; Glutathione; Nanocomposites; Manganese Compounds; Semiconductors; Limit of Detection; Quantum Dots; Humans; 0210 nano-technology; Fluorescent Dyes

Fluorescence biosensors that enable highly sensitive detection of glutathione (GSH) are in great demand for various biological investigations and early disease diagnoses. Here, we report a turn-on fluorescence nanoplatform based on fluorescent semiconducting polymer nanoparticle@MnO2 nanosheets (P-dot@MnO2) nanocomposites for rapid homogeneous determination of GSH. The near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent P-dots were prepared by doping NIR dyes into polymer matrix and then encompassed by MnO2, which resulted in a remarkable fluorescence quenching. Owing to the selective decomposition of MnO2 by GSH, the fluorescence recovery was achieved in the presence of GSH. On the basis of the target-induced turn-on fluorescence response, the developed nanoplatform can readily detect GSH with a high sensitivity up to 0.26 μM, as well as a superior specificity. Furthermore, it was successfully applied in monitoring the intracellular GSH in living cells, revealing its great potential in biomedical applications. Graphical abstract.