FeIII -Salen-Based Probes for the Selective and Sensitive Detection of E450 in Foodstuff

Chitosan-initiated gold nanoparticles with enhanced fluorescence for unique Fe3+/PPi sensing and photothermal therapy

The design of surface ligands is crucial for ligand-protected gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Herein, following the principle of green synthesis, environmentally friendly gold nanoparticles (AuNPs@His@CC, AuHC) were fabricated based on dual ligands of histidine and carboxylated chitosan. AuHC showed the advantages of low toxicity, good photoluminescent stability and ideal biocompatibility. Compared with single histidine-coated gold nanoclusters (AuNCs@His, AuH), AuHC presented enhanced fluorescence attributed to the addition of chitosan. The blue-emitting AuHC has a unique response to Fe3+ with detection limits as low as 9.51 nM. Interestingly, the quenched fluorescence of AuHC-Fe3+ system could be restored through the introduction of PPi with a detection limit of 10.6 μM. So an "on-off-on" fluorescence sensing platform was achieved. Apart from good optical properties and sensing, the designed AuHC demonstrated outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency (27.8 %), which made it ideal material for thermal ablation of tumor. To be specific, after laser irradiation (660 nm, 0.78 W cm-2, 10 min) of AuHC, the survival rate of HeLa cells as a tumor cell model decreased to 12.7 %, indicating that AuHC has a significant tumor inhibition effect in vitro. Besides, AuHC also could be a befitting candidate for overcoming drug-resistant tumor cells such as MCF-7/ADR cells. Notably, AuHC can markedly ablate solid tumors in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice after laser irradiation (660 nm, 0.78 W cm-2, 10 min). Hence this work provides insight into the design of multifunctional AuNPs platform for simultaneously integrating the ion sensing and photothermal therapy of cancer.

"Covalent-Disassembly"-Based Approaches For Sensing Applications

The detection of analytes with small molecular probes is crucial for the analysis and understanding of chemical, medicinal, environmental and biological situations as well as processes. Classic detection approaches rely on the concept of molecular recognition and bond formation reactions. Bond breakage reactions have been less explored in similar contexts. This concept article introduces metal-salen and metal-imine complexes as "covalent-disassembly"-based (DB)-probes for detecting polyoxophosphates, thiols, amino acids, HCN and changes in pH. It discusses the roles, importance and combinations of structurally functionalized molecular building blocks in the construction of DB-probes. Applications of optimized DB-probes for analyte detection in live cells and foodstuff are also discussed. Furthermore, the mechanism of the disassembly of a Fe(III)-salen probe upon pyrophosphate binding is presented. Extraordinary selectivity for this analyte was achieved by a multistep disassembly sequence including an unprecedented structural change of the metal complex (i. e. "induced-fit" principle). Design principles of probes for sensing applications following the "covalent-disassembly" approach are summarized, which will help improving current systems, but will also facilitate the development of new DB-probes for challenging analytic targets.

Metal-free auxiliary pyrophosphate detection based on near-infrared carbon dots

The excessive use of pyrophosphate (PPi) anions as additives poses a serious threat to human health and the environment. Considering the current status of PPi probes, the development of metal-free auxiliary PPi probes has important applications. In this study, a novel near-infrared nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon dots (N,S-CDs) were prepared. The average particle size of N,S-CDs was 2.25 ± 0.32 nm with average height was 3.05 nm. The probe N,S-CDs showed a special response to PPi, and a good linear relationship was obtained with PPi concentrations ranging from 0 to 1 μM, with the limit of detection being 0.22 nM. Tap water and milk were used for practical inspection, and ideal experimental results were acquired. In addition, the probe N,S-CDs also showed good results in biological systems, such as cell and zebrafish experiments.

A CuII -Salicylidene Glycinato Complex for the Selective Fluorometric Detection of Homocysteine over 20 Proteinogenic Amino Acids

Homocysteine (Hcy) is a sulfur‐containing α‐amino acid that differs by one methylene (CH₂) subunit from homologous cysteine (Cys). Elevated levels of Hcy are diagnostic markers of cardiovascular disease and other medical conditions. We present a new Cu^II‐salicylidene glycinato complex 1 for the selective fluorometric detection of Hcy in water. In the presence of this analyte, the non‐fluorescent copper‐complex demetallates and disassembles into its building blocks. This process liberates a 3‐chloro‐5‐sulfosalicylaldehyde signaling unit and is accompanied by a 51‐fold turn‐on fluorescence at 485 nm (λ_ex=350 nm). Out of twenty proteinogenic amino acids, only histidine (12‐fold turn‐on fluorescence) and Cys (8‐fold turn‐on fluorescence) trigger some disassembly of probe 1. In comparison with important pioneering work on the detection of biothiols, this study strikingly demonstrates that structural modifications of chelate core structures steer substrate selectivity of metal‐based probes. Importantly, probe 1 has proven suitable for the detection of Hcy in artificial urine.

Detection of glyphosate with a copper(II)-pyrocatechol violet based GlyPKit

This paper describes the development of a test kit for the selective detection of glyphosate (GlyP). A copper(II)-pyrocatechol violet complex was selected by a screening approach from a pool of 96 combinations of metal ions and commercially available indicators and subsequently incorporated as a detection zone into a hydrophobic C18 solid support. With this kit, detection of 20 μM GlyP in tap water by the "naked eye" is possible and quantifications by smartphone analysis with a limit of detection as low as 2.66 μM (450 μg L-1) have been demonstrated in a proof-of-principle study.

Induced fit activity-based sensing: a mechanistic study of pyrophosphate detection with a "flexible" Fe-salen complex

Activity-based sensing of biological targets is attracting increasing attention. In this work, we report detailed UV-Vis and fluorescence mechanistic studies on an Fe-salen based probe, [Fe^III{salenMeCl₂(SO₃)₂}OH₂]⁻ for pyrophosphate (PPi) detection. In the presence of PPi as an analyte, the probe disassembles into its molecular subunits and releases a fluorescent signal. Our studies illustrate that the aqua form of the complex (1-OH2) is the active species and that upon substitution of Fe-coordinated H₂O and an initial end-on coordination of HP₂O₇³⁻, the “trapped” pyrophosphate species switches from a monodentate to a bidentate coordination mode (i.e. linkage isomerism) via a probable equilibrium process. The elusive intermediate is further stabilized by a hydrogen bonding interaction that activates the probe for the subsequent final irreversible rate-limiting step, and allows selective discrimination between the other pyrophosphate (H₂P₂O₇²⁻ and P₂O₇⁴⁻) species in favour of the HP₂O₇³⁻. The flexible mode of molecular recognition and binding of HP₂O₇³⁻ by the tetradentate probe 1-OH2 is unexpected and most effective at physiological pH, and has precedence in enzymatic catalysis (i.e. induced fit principle). These binding properties explain the previously observed outstanding selectivity of 1-OH2 for pyrophosphate over other (poly)oxophosphates and potentially competing analytes.

A detailed mechanistic study of pyrophosphate (PPi) detection with a fluorometric Fe-salen based probe unravels the key structural switch of the Fe-bound PPi (“induced fit principle”) explaining the novel selectivity over other competing analytes.