Issue 12, 2019

A colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent sensor for sequentially detecting Cu2+ and arginine based on a coumarin–rhodamine B derivative and its application for bioimaging

Abstract

In this work, a colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent sensor based on a coumarin–rhodamine B hybrid for the sequential recognition of Cu2+ and arginine (Arg) via the FRET mechanism was designed and synthesized. With the addition of Cu2+, the solution displayed a colorimetric change from pale yellow to pink which is discernible by the naked eye. Additionally, the fluorescence intensities of the sensor exhibited ratiometric changes for the detection of Cu2+ at 490 and 615 nm under a single excitation wavelength of 350 nm, which corresponded to the emissions of coumarin and rhodamine B moieties, respectively. The fluorescence color change could be visualized from blue to pink. The limits of detection were determined to be as low as 0.50 and 0.47 μM for UV-vis and fluorescence measurements, respectively. More importantly, the sensor not only can recognize Cu2+ and form a sensor-Cu2+ complex but can also sequentially detect Arg with the resulting complex. The detection limits for Arg were as low as 0.60 μM (UV-vis measurement) and 0.33 μM (fluorescence measurement), respectively. A fluorescence imaging experiment in living cells demonstrated that the fabricated sensor could be utilized in ratiometric fluorescence imaging towards intracellular Cu2+, which is promising for the detection of low-level Cu2+ and Arg with potentially practical significance.

Graphical abstract: A colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent sensor for sequentially detecting Cu2+ and arginine based on a coumarin–rhodamine B derivative and its application for bioimaging

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Dec 2018
Accepted
16 Feb 2019
First published
26 Feb 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2019,9, 6643-6649

A colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent sensor for sequentially detecting Cu2+ and arginine based on a coumarin–rhodamine B derivative and its application for bioimaging

S. Wang, H. Ding, Y. Wang, C. Fan, G. Liu and S. Pu, RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 6643 DOI: 10.1039/C8RA09943J

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