Quantitative analysis of modeled ATP hydrolysis in water by a colorimetric sensor array

Metal Ion-Regulated Fluorescent Sensor Array Based on Gold Nanoclusters for Physiological Phosphate Sensing

The detection of physiological phosphates (PPs) is of great importance due to their essential roles in numerous biological processes, but the efficient detection of different PPs simultaneously remains challenging. In this work, we propose a fluorescence sensor array for detecting PPs based on metal-ion-regulated gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) via an indicator-displacement assay. Zn2+ and Eu3+ are selected to assemble with two different AuNCs, resulting in quenching or enhancing their fluorescence. Based on the competitive interaction of metal ions with AuNCs and PPs, the fluorescence of AuNCs will be recovered owing to the disassembly of AuNC-metal ion ensembles. Depending on different PPs' distinct fluorescence responses, a four-channel sensor array was established. The array not only exhibits good discrimination capability for eight kinds of PPs (i.e., ATP, ADP, AMP, GTP, CTP, UTP, PPi, and Pi) via linear discriminant analysis but also enables quantitative detection of single phosphate (e.g., ATP) in the presence of interfering PPs mixtures. Moreover, potential application of the present sensor array for the discrimination of different PPs in real samples (e.g., cell lysates and serum) was successfully demonstrated with a good performance. This work illustrates the great potential of a metal ion-regulated sensor array as a new and efficient sensing platform for differential sensing of phosphates as well as other disease-related biomolecules.

Zn(II)-Dipicolylamine-Attached Amphiphilic Polythiophene for Quantitative Pattern Recognition of Oxyanions in Mixtures

Herein, we propose a novel amphiphilic polythiophene-based chemosensor functionalized with a Zn(II)-dipicolylamine side chain (1poly  ⋅ Zn) for the pattern recognition of oxyanions. Optical changes in amphiphilic 1poly  ⋅ Zn can be induced by the formation of a random coil from a backbone-planarized structure upon the addition of target oxyanions, which results in blueshifts in the UV-vis absorption spectra and turn-on-type fluorescence responses. Dynamic behavior in a polythiophene wire and/or among wires could be a driving force for obtaining visible color changes, while the molecular wire effect is dominant in obtaining fluorescence sensor responses. Notably, the magnitude of optical changes in 1poly  ⋅ Zn has depended on differences in properties of oxyanions, such as their binding affinity, hydrophilicity, and molecular geometry. Thus, various colorimetric and fluorescence response patterns of 1poly  ⋅ Zn to oxyanions were obtained, albeit using a single chemosensor. A constructed information-rich dataset was applied to pattern recognition for the simultaneous group categorization of phosphate and carboxylate groups and the prediction of similar structural oxyanions at a different order of concentrations in their mixture solutions.

Recent Advances in Functional Nanomaterials for Diagnostic and Sensing Using Self-Assembled Monolayers

Functional nanomaterials have attracted attention by producing different structures in any field. These materials have several potential applications, including medicine, electronics, and energy, which provide many unique properties. These nanostructures can be synthesized using various methods, including self-assembly, which can be used for the same applications. This unique nanomaterial is increasingly being used for biological detection due to its unique optical, electrical, and mechanical properties, which provide sensitive and specific sensors for detecting biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. This review highlights recent advances in the field and discusses the fabrication and characterization of the corresponding materials, which can be further applied in optical, magnetic, electronic, and sensor fields.

Supramolecular Recognition of Cytidine Phosphate in Nucleotides and RNA Sequences

Supramolecular recognition of nucleotides would enable manipulating crucial biochemical pathways like transcription and translation directly and with high precision. Therefore, it offers great promise in medicinal applications, not least in treating cancer or viral infections. This work presents a universal supramolecular approach to target nucleoside phosphates in nucleotides and RNA. The artificial active site in new receptors simultaneously realizes several binding and sensing mechanisms: encapsulation of a nucleobase via dispersion and hydrogen bonding interactions, recognition of the phosphate residue, and a self-reporting feature-"turn-on" fluorescence. Key to the high selectivity is the conscious separation of phosphate- and nucleobase-binding sites by introducing specific spacers in the receptor structure. We have tuned the spacers to achieve high binding affinity and selectivity for cytidine 5' triphosphate coupled to a record 60-fold fluorescence enhancement. The resulting structures are also the first functional models of poly(rC)-binding protein coordinating specifically to C-rich RNA oligomers, e.g., the 5'-AUCCC(C/U) sequence present in poliovirus type 1 and the human transcriptome. The receptors bind to RNA in human ovarian cells A2780, causing strong cytotoxicity at 800 nM. The performance, self-reporting property, and tunability of our approach open up a promising and unique avenue for sequence-specific RNA binding in cells by using low-molecular-weight artificial receptors.

Mathematical Modeling of a Supramolecular Assembly for Pyrophosphate Sensing

The power of sensing molecules is often characterized in part by determining their thermodynamic/dynamic properties, in particular the binding constant of a guest to a host. In many studies, traditional nonlinear regression analysis has been used to determine the binding constants, which cannot be applied to complex systems and limits the reliability of such calculations. Supramolecular sensor systems include many interactions that make such chemical systems complicated. The challenges in creating sensing molecules can be significantly decreased through the availability of detailed mathematical models of such systems. Here, we propose uncovering accurate thermodynamic parameters of chemical reactions using better-defined mathematical modeling-fitting analysis is the key to understanding molecular assemblies and developing new bio/sensing agents. The supramolecular example we chose for this investigation is a self-assembled sensor consists of a synthesized receptor, DPA (DPA = dipicolylamine)-appended phenylboronic acid (1) in combination with Zn2+(1.Zn) that forms various assemblies with a fluorophore like alizarin red S (ARS). The self-assemblies can detect multi-phosphates like pyrophosphate (PPi) in aqueous solutions. We developed a mathematical model for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of twenty-seven intertwined interactions and reactions between the sensor (1.Zn-ARS) and the target (PPi) for the first time, relying on the Newton-Raphson algorithm. Through analyzing simulated potentiometric titration data, we describe the concurrent determination of thermodynamic parameters of the different guest-host bindings. Various values of temperatures, initial concentrations, and starting pHs were considered to predict the required measurement conditions for thermodynamic studies. Accordingly, we determined the species concentrations of different host-guest bindings in a generalized way. This way, the binding capabilities of a set of species can be quantitatively examined to systematically measure the power of the sensing system. This study shows analyzing supramolecular self-assemblies with solid mathematical models has a high potential for a better understanding of molecular interactions within complex chemical networks and developing new sensors with better sensing effects for bio-purposes.

A Fluorescence Sensor Array Based on Zinc(II)-Carboxyamidoquinolines: Toward Quantitative Detection of ATP*

The newly prepared fluorescent carboxyamidoquinolines (1-3) and their Zn(II) complexes (Zn@1-Zn@3) were used to bind and sense various phosphate anions utilizing a relay mechanism, in which the Zn(II) ion migrates from the Zn@1-Zn@3 complexes to the phosphate, namely adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and pyrophosphate (PPi), a process accompanied by a dramatic change in fluorescence. Zn@1-Zn@3 assemblies interact with adenine nucleotide phosphates while displaying an analyte-specific response. This process was investigated using UV-vis, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy. It is shown that the different binding selectivity and the corresponding fluorescence response enable differentiation of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP), pyrophosphate (PPi), and phosphate (Pi). The cross-reactive nature of the carboxyamidoquinolines-Zn(II) sensors in conjunction with linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was utilized in a simple fluorescence chemosensor array that allows for the identification of ATP, ADP, PPi, and Pi from 8 other anions including adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) with 100 % correct classification. Furthermore, the support vector machine algorithm, a machine learning method, allowed for highly accurate quantitation of ATP in the range of 5-100 μM concentration in unknown samples with error <2.5 %.

A Printed Paper-Based Anion Sensor Array for Multi-Analyte Classification: On-Site Quantification of Glyphosate

We report a paper-based chemosensor array device (PCSAD) for the quantitative detection of oxyanions including the herbicide glyphosate (GlyP) in aqueous media. The mechanism of the oxyanion detection relies on a coordination-binding-based sensor array. In this study, the competitive coordination binding among Zn²⁺ , four catechol dyes, and seven oxyanions caused noticeable colour changes. The colour changes were employed for qualitative and quantitative analyses using an in-house automated image-processing algorithm with pattern recognition for digital images. A linear discrimination analysis discerned similarly structured oxyanions with 100 % accuracy. The regression analysis allowed the accurate quantification of GlyP in the herbicide products with a limit of detection of 16 mg/L, which is lower than the health advisory value for children (20 mg/L) stipulated by the environmental protection agency (EPA). PCSAD is a powerful sensor device for the on-site quantification of aqueous anions for environmental assessment.

Fluorescence Anion Chemosensor Array Based on Pyrenylboronic Acid

A novel fluorescence chemosensor array composed of pyrenylboronic acid-based probes for multi- anion detection has been developed. The pyrenylboronic acid derivatives showed fluorescence quenching or enhancement due to photoinduced electron transfer originating from anion binding. The recognition ability was assessed by fluorescence titrations and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Because the array is constructed with cross-reactive probes, the combination of differential binding affinities for anions (i.e., fluoride, acetate, oxalate, malonate, citrate, dihydrogen phosphate, and pyrophosphate) and pattern recognitions, such as linear discriminant analysis, offered a successful simultaneous anion detection with a classification rate of 100%. Furthermore, the chemosensor array allowed for quantitative prediction of oxalate, malonate, and citrate in mixtures using a support vector machine. Importantly, the array system employs low-cost and commercially available reagents as probes. Thus, this study could lead to the development of user-friendly and high-throughput methods to detect a variety of analytes in complicated systems.

Label-Free SERS Strategy for In Situ Monitoring and Real-Time Imaging of Aβ Aggregation Process in Live Neurons and Brain Tissues

The aggregation of Aβ has been reported to closely correlate with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, clear monitoring of the entire aggregation process of Aβ from monomer to fibril has been scarcely reported until now. Herein, we developed a label-free ratiometric surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) platform for real-time monitoring of the entire process of Aβ aggregation in neurons and brain tissues. Different gold nanoparticles, generated in situ with Aβ monomer and fibril as templates separately, were served as effective SERS substrates to achieve a high sensitivity with a limit of detection (LOD) down to 70 ± 4 pM and 3.0 ± 0.5 pM for Aβ₄₀ monomer and fibrils, respectively. Besides, the introduction of ratiometric determination of Aβ monomer and fibril (I₁₂₄₄/I₁₂₆₈) realized real-time monitoring of the entire aggregation process of Aβ monomer with high accuracy and selectivity against other proteins and amino acids. The significant analytical performance of the developed platform, together with good biocompatibility, long-term stability, and remarkable spatial resolution, enabled the present SERS platform imaging and real-time monitoring and imaging of Aβ aggregation influenced by different metal ions (Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Fe³⁺) in neurons and brain tissues at the single cell level. Our results suggested that Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ion of low concentration (10 μM) promoted fibril formation, while Fe³⁺ and Zn²⁺ of high concentration (100 μM) showed inhibition of fibrosis.

A novel two-photon ratiometric fluorescent probe for imaging and sensing of BACE1 in different regions of AD mouse brain

β-Secretase (BACE1) is the vital enzyme in the pathogenic processes of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the development of a powerful tool with high selectivity and sensitivity for BACE1 determination in vivo is a challenge in understanding the pathogenesis of AD. In this work, a novel two-photon ratiometric fluorescent probe (AF633mCyd) was first developed for imaging and sensing of BACE1 in live cells and deep tissues, in which the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) system was designed and synthesized by a novel two-photon donor, merocyanine derivative (mCyd), connected with an acceptor, Alexa Fluor 633 (AF633), through a peptide substrate (EVNL-DAEFRHDSGYK) with a length of less than 10 nm. The emission spectrum of mCyd possessed sufficient overlap with the absorption spectrum of AF633, resulting in the high sensitivity of the developed AF633mCyd probe. The peptide substrate which can be specifically cleaved by BACE1 was inserted between the donor and acceptor, leading to the high selectivity of the present fluorescent probe. The fluorescence emission peaks of the AF633mCyd probe were observed at 578 nm and 651 nm and the emission ratio demonstrated good linearity with the concentration of BACE1 varying from 0.1 to 40.0 nM with a detection limit down to 65.3 ± 0.1 pM. Considering the advantages of high selectivity and sensitivity, as well as long-term stability and good biocompatibility, the developed probe was successfully applied in imaging and sensing of BACE1 in different regions of AD mouse brain tissue with a depth greater than 300 μm. Using this powerful tool, it was clear that the level of BACE1 was different in various brain regions of AD mouse such as S1BF, CPu, LD, and CA1. The up-regulation of BACE1 was observed especially in the regions S1BF and CA1 in AD mouse brain. Moreover, BACE1 was also found to be closely related to AD pathogenesis caused by oxidative stress.

Chemical Sensing Platforms Based on Organic Thin-Film Transistors Functionalized with Artificial Receptors

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) have attracted intense attention as promising electronic devices owing to their various applications such as rollable active-matrix displays, flexible nonvolatile memories, and radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags. To further broaden the scope of the application of OTFTs, we focus on the host-guest chemistry combined with the electronic devices. Extended-gate types of OTFTs functionalized with artificial receptors were fabricated to achieve chemical sensing of targets in complete aqueous media. Organic and inorganic ions (cations and anions), neutral molecules, and proteins, which are regarded as target analytes in the field of host-guest chemistry, were electrically detected by artificial receptors. Molecular recognition phenomena on the extended-gate electrode were evaluated by several analytical methods such as photoemission yield spectroscopy in the air, contact angle goniometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Interestingly, the electrical responses of the OTFTs were highly sensitive to the chemical structures of the guests. Thus, the OTFTs will facilitate the selective sensing of target analytes and the understanding of chemical conversions in biological and environmental systems. Furthermore, such cross-reactive responses observed in our studies will provide some important insights into next-generation sensing systems such as OTFT arrays. We strongly believe that our approach will enable the development of new intriguing sensor platforms in the field of host-guest chemistry, analytical chemistry, and organic electronics.

A ratiometric fluorescent DNA nanoprobe for cerebral adenosine triphosphate assay

A silver nanocluster-based ratiometric fluorescent nanosensor was developed for the determination of ATP in the cerebrospinal fluid of a mouse brain. Using this useful tool with good stability and high selectivity as well as a wide linear detection range, it was found that the ATP concentration in a mouse brain with Alzheimer's disease was 2300-fold higher than that in a normal one.

Fluorescent sensor array for separation-free dopamine analogue discrimination via polyethyleneimine-mediated self-polymerization reaction

The effective discrimination of dopamine (DA) analogues is an enduring challenge because of their very tiny structural differences, and thus a separation technique is generally required during the conventional analysis. In this study, a hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (hPEI)-based fluorescent sensor array has been constructed for the separation-free and effective differentiation of four DA analogues. The discrimination includes two steps: firstly, the formation of fluorescent polymer nanoparticles (FPNs) with diverse emission profiles via hPEI-mediated self-polymerization reaction of DA analogues and secondly, the linear discriminant analysis of fluorescence patterns of the formed FPNs for the differentiation of DA analogues. The hPEI-assisted self-polymerization reaction of DA analogues and substitution group mediated optical properties of the resulted FPNs enable an excellent discrimination of four DA analogues at a concentration of 1.0 μM when linear discriminant analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis are smartly combined. Additionally, binary, tertiary and even quaternary mixtures of analogues can also be well distinguished with the proposed sensor array. The practicability of this established sensor array is validated by a high accuracy (100%) evaluation of 88 blind samples containing a single analogue or a mixture of two, three or four analogues.

A Saccharide Chemosensor Array Developed Based on an Indicator Displacement Assay Using a Combination of Commercially Available Reagents

Herein, a very simple colorimetric chemosensor array is reported for saccharides (_D-glucose, _D-fructose, _D-xylose, _D-galactose, _D-mannose, _L-rhamnose, and N-acetyl-_D-gluosamine). While various types of chemosensors for saccharides have been investigated extensively to-this-date, tremendous additional efforts are still required on a regular basis for the syntheses of new chemosensors. Complicated syntheses would be a bottleneck, given that artificial receptor-based chemosensing systems are not so popular in comparison to biomaterial-based (e.g., enzyme-based) sensing systems. Toward this end, chemosensor array systems using molecular self-assembled materials can avoid the abovementioned synthetic efforts and achieve simultaneous qualitative and quantitative detection of a number of guest saccharides. Using a practical approach, we focus on an indicator displacement assay (IDA) to fabricate a chemosensor array for colorimetric saccharide sensing. On this basis, 3-nitrophenylboronic acid (3-NPBA) spontaneously reacts with catechol dyes such as alizarin red S (ARS), bromopyrogallol red (BPR), pyrogallol red (PR), and pyrocatechol violet (PV), and yields boronate ester derivatives with color changes. The addition of saccharides into the aqueous solution of the boronate esters induces color recovery owing to the higher binding affinity of 3-NPBA for saccharides, thus resulting in the release of dyes. By employing this system, we have succeeded in discriminating saccharides qualitatively and quantitatively with a classification success rate of 100%. Most importantly, our chemosensor array has been fabricated by only mixing low cost commercially available reagents in situ, which means that complicated synthetic processes are avoided for saccharide sensing. We believe this simple colorimetric assay that uses only commercially available reagents can create new, user-friendly supramolecular sensing pathways for saccharides.

Dual-Mode Au Nanoprobe Based on Surface Enhancement Raman Scattering and Colorimetry for Sensitive Determination of Telomerase Activity Both in Cell Extracts and in the Urine of Patients

Telomerase is a valuable biomarker, which is highly correlated to cancer diseases. However, the single-mode probe for telomerase detection cannot satisfy the challenge of detection of telomerase activity rapidly, simply with high selectivity, sensitivity, and accuracy both in preliminary diagnosis and in point of care (POC) testing. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a robust approach with controllable assembly and high accuracy to consider both the simplification of preliminary diagnosis and POC testing and the quantification requirement for early clinical diagnosis and treatment. Herein, a novel dual-mode Au NPs probe was developed for determination of telomerase activity with controllable assembly and aggregation statement based on surface enhancement Raman scattering (SERS) and colorimetry. In this strategy, an Au dimer-based probe with high uniformity was assembled successfully, telomerase activity was reflected according to the color variations of solution and the Raman intensity of Raman reporter. Taking advantage of the uniformity of Au dimers and the combination of colorimetry and SERS techniques, our strategy determined the telomerase activity with high accuracy, sensitivity, and wide range. The established probe possessed of high selectivity, sensitivity, and accuracy, which was approved as a reliable, intuitional, and convenient approach for detecting telomerase activity.

Molecular Receptors for Recognition and Sensing of Nucleotides

Nucleotides are constituents of nucleic acids and they have a variety of functions in cellular metabolism. Synthetic receptors and sensors are required to reveal the role of nucleotides in living organisms and mechanisms of signal transduction events. In recent years, a large number of nucleotide-selective synthetic receptors have been devised, which utilize different molecular designs and sensing mechanisms. This Minireview presents recent progress in the design of synthetic molecular receptors for selective recognition of nucleotides in aqueous solution. The binding properties of receptors and the origins of their selectivity for a particular nucleotide are discussed.

2D-Metal-Organic-Framework-Nanozyme Sensor Arrays for Probing Phosphates and Their Enzymatic Hydrolysis

The detection of phosphates and their enzymatic hydrolysis is of great importance because of their essential roles in various biological processes and numerous diseases. Compared with individual sensors for detecting one given phosphate at a time, sensor arrays are able to discriminate multiple phosphates simultaneously. Although nanomaterial-based sensor arrays have shown great promise for the discrimination of phosphates, very few of them have been explored for probing phosphates involved enzymatic hydrolysis. To fill this gap, herein we fabricated two-dimensional-metal-organic-framework (2D-MOF)-nanozyme-based sensor arrays by modulating their peroxidase-mimicking activity with various phosphates, including AMP, ADP, ATP, pyrophosphate (PPi), and phosphate (Pi). The sensor arrays were used to successfully discriminate the five phosphates not only in aqueous solutions but also in biological samples. The practical application of the sensor arrays was then validated with blind samples, where 30 unknown samples containing phosphates were accurately identified. Moreover, the sensor arrays were successfully applied to probing hydrolytic processes involving ATP and PPi that are catalyzed by apyrase and PPase, respectively. This work demonstrates a nanozyme-based sensor array as a convenient and reliable analytical platform for probing phosphates and their related enzymatic processes, which could be applied to other analytes and enzymatic reactions.

A molecular self-assembled colourimetric chemosensor array for simultaneous detection of metal ions in water

We propose a novel strategy for a high-throughput sensing of metal ions using a molecular self-assembled colourimetric chemosensor array. The proposed colourimetric assay has been achieved by only using the combination of commercially available materials. Importantly, the easy-to-prepare assay can be utilised to quantitatively detect metal ions under competitive conditions.

Recognition of AMP, ADP and ATP through Cooperative Binding by Cu(II) and Zn(II) Complexes Containing Urea and/or Phenylboronic-Acid Moieties

We report a series of Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes with different ligands containing a dipicolyl unit functionalized with urea groups that may contain or not a phenylboronic acid function. These complexes were designed for the recognition of phosphorylated anions through coordination to the metal ion reinforced by hydrogen bonds involving the anion and NH groups of urea. The complexes were isolated and several adducts with pyrophosphate were characterized using X-ray diffraction measurements. Coordination of one of the urea nitrogen atoms to the metal ion promoted the hydrolysis of the ligands containing 1,3-diphenylurea units, while ligands bearing 1-ethyl-3-phenylurea groups did not hydrolyze significantly at room temperature. Spectrophotometric titrations, combined with ¹H and ³¹P NMR studies, were used in investigating the binding of phosphate, pyrophosphate (PPi), and nucleoside 5′-polyphosphates (AMP, ADP, ATP, CMP, and UMP). The association constants determined in aqueous solution (pH 7.0, 0.1 M MOPS) point to a stronger association with PPi, ADP, and ATP as compared with the anions containing a single phosphate unit. The [CuL⁴]²⁺ complex shows important selectivity for pyrophosphate (PPi) over ADP and ATP.

A colorimetric sensor array based on sulfuric acid assisted KMnO4 fading for the detection and identification of pesticides

Pesticides play a critical role in improving crop yield in modern agriculture, but their residues significantly harm the environment and human health. Herein, a novel and simple colorimetric sensor array built on sulfuric acid assisted KMnO₄ fading strategy has been developed for pesticides detection and discrimination. This sensor array is facilely fabricated by KMnO₄ and sulfuric acid through simply adjusting their concentrations and ratios. Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) demonstrates that the as-fabricated colorimetric sensor array has a high dimensionality, and shows excellent capability to recognize common kinds of pesticides from potential interferants. Semi-quantitative detection was achieved through combining HCA and corresponding fitting curves. Moreover, the proposed sensor array was successfully applied to detect pesticide residues (e.g. carbaryl) in real samples. The strategy described herein will not only "maximally" simplify the design and fabrication approach, but expand the application fields of colorimetric sensor array methodology towards weak-reactive analytes.

Phage-Based Structural Color Sensors and Their Pattern Recognition Sensing System

The mammalian olfactory system provides great inspiration for the design of intelligent sensors. To this end, we have developed a bioinspired phage nanostructure-based color sensor array and a smartphone-based sensing network system. Using a M13 bacteriophage (phage) as a basic building block, we created structural color matrices that are composed of liquid-crystalline bundled nanofibers from self-assembled phages. The phages were engineered to express cross-responsive receptors on their major coat protein (pVIII), leading to rapid, detectable color changes upon exposure to various target chemicals, resulting in chemical- and concentration-dependent color fingerprints. Using these sensors, we have successfully detected 5-90% relative humidity with 0.2% sensitivity. In addition, after modification with aromatic receptors, we were able to distinguish between various structurally similar toxic chemicals including benzene, toluene, xylene, and aniline. Furthermore, we have developed a method of interpreting and disseminating results from these sensors using smartphones to establish a wireless system. Our phage-based sensor system has the potential to be very useful in improving national security and monitoring the environment and human health.

Macroscopic and Fluorescent Discrimination of Adenosine Triphosphate via Selective Metallo-hydrogel Formation: A Visual, Practical, and Reliable Rehearsal toward Cellular Imaging

With use of simple terpyridine zinc nitrate complexes, intriguing visual recognition of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) via selective coordination assembly leading to two-component metallo-hydrogel formation has been realized. With intensive fluorescent study and density functional theory calculations, it may be inferred, besides the selective metal-ligand interaction between Zn center and phosphate groups, the intramolecular π-stacking between the planar nucleobases of ATP and the metal-hybrid aromatic ring of pincer complex strongly affected the geometry of the coordinated adducts and possible molecular self-assembly process, which constitute a completely new sensing strategy in comparison with the conventional approaches. Furthermore, in light of extreme sensitivity of pincer zinc complexes toward ATP at micromolar scale (1.85 μM) and remarkable fluorescent enhancement (ca. 44-fold) upon ATP addition, the feasibility of the low cytotoxicity pincer zinc complexes in monitoring ATP in HeLa cells has been fulfilled with confocal fluorescence microscopy.