A novel near-infrared fluorescent sensor for zero background nitrite detection via the "covalent-assembly" principle

Ultrabright silicon nanoparticles combined with o-phenylenediamine for ratiometric fluorescence and smartphone imaging dual-mode detection of nitrite

Nitrite (NO2-) is widely present in the natural environment and human daily life. Excessive NO2- can cause harm to the environment and human health. Herein, silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) with a fluorescence quantum yield of up to 70 % were synthesised using a one-pot hydrothermal method and combined with the common and inexpensive o-phenylenediamine (OPD) to achieve the detection of NO2-. Upon the addition of NO2-, the blue fluorescence of the SiNPs was quenched due to static quenching and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), while the yellow fluorescence of benzotriazole, the reaction product of OPD and NO2-, was enhanced, resulting in the fluorescence color change from blue to yellow. Based on these phenomena, a ratiometric fluorescence sensor integrated with smartphone imaging technology was developed. This sensor is notable for its portability, cost-effectiveness, and satisfactory detection limits (0.016 μM for ratiometric fluorescence and 1.64 μM for smartphone imaging). Importantly, it demonstrates high reliability and practicability in detecting NO2- in real water and food samples. This broadens the application of SiNPs in the sensing field and introduces new possibilities for NO2- detection in complex sample matrices.

Rapid, portable and visualizing nitrite detection enabled by a rationally designed meso-aminoindole substituted pyronine-based fluorescent probe

Nitrite (NO2-) widely exists in our daily diet, and its excessive consumption can lead to detrimental effects on the human central nervous system and an elevated risk of cancer. The fluorescence probe method for the determination of nitrite has developed rapidly due to its simplicity, rapidity and sensitivity. Despite establishing various nitrite sensing platforms to ensure the safety of foods and drinking water, the simultaneous achievement of rapid, specific, affordable, visualizing, and on-site nitrite detection remains challenging. Here, we designed a novel fluorescent probe by using Rhodamine 800 as the fluorescent skeleton and 5-aminoindole as the specific reaction group to solve this problem. The probe shows a maximal fluorescence emission at 602 nm, thereby avoiding background emission interference when applied to food samples. Moreover, this unique probe exhibited excellent sensing capabilities for detecting nitrite. These included: a rapid response time within 3 min, a noticeable color change that the naked eye can observe, a low detection limit of 13.8 nM, and a remarkable selectivity and specificity to nitrite. Besides that, the probe can detect nitrite quantitatively in barreled drinking water, ham sausage, and pickles samples, with good recoveries ranging from 89.0 % to 105.8 %. More importantly, based on the probe fixation and signal processing technology, a portable and smart sensing platform was fabricated and made convenient and rapid analysis the content of NO2- in real samples possible. The results obtained in this work provide a new strategy for the design of high-performance nitrite probes and feasible technology for portable, rapid and visual detection of nitrite, and this probe holds the potential as a practical tool for alleviating concern regarding nitrite levels.

A zero-background fluorescent probe for sensing and imaging of glutathione via the "covalent-assembly" approach

Developing selective and sensitive fluorescent probes for the detection of glutathione (GSH) concentration and intracellular distribution is of great significance for early diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as liver injury and cancer since GSH plays irreplaceable roles in regulating intracellular redox homeostasis. Herein, we present a new fluorescent probe that can be specifically activated by GSH through the conjugate addition and hydrolysis induced covalent-assembly approach for achieving zero-background interference fluorescence off-on sensing. Besides, the probe exhibited prominent selectivity and sensitivity, a low detection limit and cytotoxicity, thus successfully realizing specific real-time monitoring and tracking of GSH levels in living cells. As a consequence, this work might provide a potentially promising candidate for validating the function of GSH in various physiological and pathological processes, which is beneficial for early diagnosis and therapeutics of related diseases.

An efficient ratiometric fluorescence and colorimetric dual-mode probe for convenient determination of nitrite in real samples and E. coli

Developing an effective and convenient nitrite detection method is indispensable in food safety, environmental monitoring, clinical diagnosis of diseases, and many other areas. Herein, a dicyanoisophorone derivative, TMN-NH2 with large Stokes shift and near-infrared (NIR) emission, was proposed as a ratiometric fluorescence and colorimetric dual-mode probe for the rapid determination of NO2- in acidic media, showing excellent selectivity and high sensitivity. The sensing mechanism is based on the diazotization of TMN-NH2 with NO2- and subsequent diazonium salt hydrolysis to form a hydroxyl-substituted product (TMN-OH). Under the optimized conditions of reaction and detection, a new quantitative analysis method based on TMN-NH2 was established for NO2- detection, exhibiting good linear relationships to NO2- in the range of 0.5 to 15 μM with practical detection limits of 26.6 nM and 17.6 nM for the colorimetric and fluorescent readout, respectively. The quantitative detection of NO2- in real samples demonstrated satisfactory recoveries and repeatability. Moreover, TMN-NH2 was successfully applied for monitoring NO2- in Escherichia coli by confocal fluorescence imaging.

A microfluidic concentration gradient colorimetric system for rapid detection of nitrite in surface water

A microfluidic concentration gradient colorimetric detection system consisting of a microfluidic concentration gradient colorimetric detection chip, a self-built colorimetric signal acquisition box and a self-written smartphone APP was constructed for the rapid, in-field and visual quantitative detection of nitrite. Specifically, nitrite with initial concentration of C0 can be automatically diluted into 8 concentration gradients characterized by arithmetic series, and the concentrations are 0, 0.20 C0, 0.33 C0, 0.46 C0, 0.59 C0, 0.72 C0, 0.86 C0 and C0. The colorimetric signal acquisition box avoided the interference of light spots on data acquisition. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the quantitative detection of nitrite was achieved by the proposed two-step colorimetric method based on the inhibition of AuNPs signal amplification, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.14 mg/L. The microfluidic concentration gradient colorimetric detection system was able to detect nitrite as low as 0.43 mg/L and showed a good specificity. The practical application was investigated by analyzing 10 actual samples of river and lake water, pure water and tap water. The recoveries of the microfluidic concentration gradient colorimetric detection system ranged from 94.92% to 105.60%, which indicates that the method had a good application prospect in the detection of practical samples.

A naphthalimide-based fluorescent probe for rapid detection of nitrite and its application in food quality monitoring

Nitrite (NO₂^-) is a widely used food additive and long-term aging of cooked leftovers may also contribute to the formation of NO₂^-, excessive consumption of NO₂^- is harmful to human health. Developing an effective sensing strategy for on-site monitoring of NO₂^- has attracted considerable attention. Herein, a novel colorimetric and fluorometric probe ND-1 based on photoinduced electron transfer effect (PET) was designed for highly selective and sensitive detection of nitrite (NO₂^-) in foods. The probe ND-1 was strategically constructed by employing naphthalimide as the fluorophore and o-phenylendiamine as the specific recognition site for NO₂^-. The triazole derivative ND-1-NO₂^- could be produced exclusively by reacting with NO₂^-, leading to a visible colorimetric change from yellow to colorless accompanied by a significantly enhanced fluorescence intensity at 440 nm. The probe ND-1 exhibited promising sensing performances towards NO₂^- including high selectivity, rapid response time (within 7 min), low detection limit (47.15 nM) and wide quantitative detection range (0-35 μM). In addition, probe ND-1 was capable of quantitative detecting of NO₂^- in real food samples (including pickled vegetables and cured meat products) with satisfactory recovery rates (97.61%-103.08%). Moreover, the paper device loaded by probe ND-1 could be utilized for visual monitoring of NO₂^- levels variation of stir-fried greens. This study provided a feasible method for the accurate, traceable and rapid on-site monitoring NO₂^- in foods.

Carbon quantum dots for fluorescent detection of nitrite: A review

NO₂^- is commonly found in foods and the environment, and excessive intake of NO₂^- poses serious hazards to human health. Thus, rapid and accurate assay of NO₂^- is of considerable significance. Traditional instrumental approaches for detection of NO₂^- faced with limitations of expensive instruments and complicated operations. Current gold standards for sensing NO₂^- are Griess assay and 2,3-diaminonaphthalene assay, which suffer from slow detection kinetics and bad water solubility. The newly emerged carbon quantum dots (CQDs) exhibit integrated merits including easy fabrication, low-cost, high quantum yield, excellent photostability, tunable emission behavior, good water solubility and low toxicity, which make CQDs be widely applied to fluorescent assay of NO₂^-. In this review, synthetic strategies of CQDs are briefly presented. Advances of CQDs for fluorescent detection of NO₂^- are systematically highlighted. Lastly, the challenges and perspectives in the field are discussed.

Fast visual monitoring of the freshness of beef using a smart fluorescent sensor

Spoiled meat contains many pathogenic bacteria; hence, the intake of spoiled food can lead to various illnesses. To screen the freshness of food, in this study, we devised a ratiometric fluorescence sensor dicyanovinyl coumarin (CMDC) for the determination of cadaverine, an important biomarker for the spoilage of meat. CMDC underwent aza-Michael addition with cadaverine, exhibiting high sensitivity, fast response (50 s), and distinct fluorescence color transition. Test strips fabricated using CMDC showed a noticeable color change from red to green when exposed to cadaverine vapor. The test strips were successfully used to visually monitor the spoilage of beef based on the fluorescence color change. Furthermore, the as-developed test strip coupled with a smartphone provides a simple tool for consumers and suppliers to obtain information about meat quality.

Intelligently design primary aromatic amines derived carbon dots for optical dual-mode and smartphone imaging detection of nitrite based on specific diazo coupling

Primary aromatic amines derived carbon dots (PAA-CDs) with the protonated amino groups and high quantum yield of 46% were favorably obtained by one-step solvothermal treatment of m-phenylenediamine (m-PDA) in acidic environment. The interaction between the PAA-CDs and nitrite (NO₂^-) was inherited the characteristic reaction of m-PDA (a primary aromatic amine) and NO₂^-, resulting in strong fluorescence quenching and obvious absorption variation of the PAA-CDs. Meanwhile, a chromogenic reaction of diazo coupling can cause significant color changes. Hence, the PAA-CDs were developed for an optical dual-mode and smartphone imaging sensor for NO₂^- detection in the range of 3.0 ~ 40.0 μM with high selectivity, good sensitivity, and excellent anti-interference capability. A limit of detection (LOD) of 0.024 μM and 0.16 μM was implemented by fluorometry and colorimetry, respectively. For smartphone imaging colorimetry, the LODs of 0.46 μM (visible color) and 0.99 μM (fluorescence color) were acquired. More importantly, the established sensor has been successfully applied for the dynamic detection of NO₂^- in various food samples with the satisfying results. A smartphone imaging colorimetry method based on the CDs was firstly proposed to visually and quantitatively detect NO₂^-, which will broaden the application range of the CDs in food safety inspection.

Long-term stable, high accuracy, and visual detection platform for In-field analysis of nitrite in food based on colorimetric test paper and deep convolutional neural networks

Nitrite is one of the most common carcinogens in daily food. Its simple, rapid, inexpensive, and in-field measurement is important for food safety, based on the requirements of the standard from Codex Alimentarius Commission and China. Using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and thin layer silica gel (SG), p-aminophenylcyclic acid (SA) and naphthalene ethylenediamine hydrochloride (NEH), as carriers and chromogenic agents, respectively, PAN-NSS as nitrite color sensor is proposed. After fixing and protecting of SA and NEH with layer-upon-layer PAN, the validity period of the test paper can be prolonged from 7 days to more than 30 days. The reproducibility of PAN-NSS preparation is ensured by electrospinning. Combined with PAN-NSS, deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) and APP as a visual monitoring platform, which has the functions of rapid sampling, data processing and transmission, intuitive feedback, etc., and provides a fully integrated detection system for field detection.

Small-molecule fluorescent probes based on covalent assembly strategy for chemoselective bioimaging

In this review, we comprehensively summarize the recent progress in the development of small molecular fluorescent probes based on the covalent assembly principle. The challenges and perspective in this field are also presented.

Near-Infrared-Fluorescent Probe for Turn-On Lipopolysaccharide Analysis Based on PEG-Modified Gold Nanorods with Plasmon-Enhanced Fluorescence

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), as the major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, can trigger a variety of biological effects such as sepsis, septic shock, and even multiorgan failure. Herein, we developed a near-infrared-fluorescent probe for fluorescent turn-on analysis of LPS based on plasmon-enhanced fluorescence (PEF). Gold nanorods (Au NRs) modified polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used as PEF materials. Au NRs were prepared with different longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and their fluorescence enhancement was investigated. Three kinds of molecular weights (1000, 5000, and 10000) of polyethylene glycol (PEG) were employed to control the distance between the Au NRs and the fluorescence substances of cyanine 7 (Cy7). Experimental analysis showed that the enhancement was related to the spectral overlap between the plasmon resonance of Au NRs and the extinction/emission of fluorophore. The three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (3D-FDTD) simulation further revealed that the enhancement was caused by local electric field enhancement. Furthermore, the probe was used for the ultrasensitive analysis of LPS with a detection limit of 3.85 ng/mL and could quickly distinguish the Gram-negative bacterium-Escherichia coli (E. coli) (with LPS in the membrane) from Gram-positive bacterium-Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (without LPS), as well as quantitative determination of E. coli with a detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁶ cfu/mL. These results suggested that the prepared probe has great potential for biomedical diagnosis and selective detection of LPS from different bacterial strains.

A novel ratiometric and colorimetric probe for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of nitrite in water based on an Acenaphtho[1,2-d] imidazole derivative

The concentration of nitrite (NO₂^-) ions above allowable limits in water resources and food stuffs is considered hazardous and has been proven to be of great threat to the environment and public health. In this work, an acenaphtho [1,2-d] imidazole derivative (1) as a ratiometric colorimetric probe is developed. UV-Vis experiments demonstrate that the probe 1 shows excellent selectivity toward NO₂^- in the presence of other potential interfering species, a rapid response (20 s) and a low detection limit (100 nM) by a distinct visual color change with a bathochromic shift of 120 nm from colorless to intense yellow. Besides, this probe is further used for the quantification of nitrite ions in environmental water resources such as tap water, underground water, and surface water samples. The high recoveries (96-99% with relative standard deviations (RSD) of <2.0%) make the probe 1 a promising candidate for practical applications in daily life in the detection of nitrite ions.