Fluorescence detection of spermine and spermidine using a poly-carboxylate receptor and ensemble-based formalin sensing in real samples

Abstract

Spermine and spermidine, biogenic aliphatic polyamines, are essential clinical markers, but their extreme polarity and UV inactivity make their detection difficult. This study aims to develop a new receptor TP, which showed high selectivity for biogenic amines in fluorometric turn-on detection, with a response time of <5 seconds. The limit of detection was found to be 15.29 nM (3.07 ppb) and 10.29 nM (2.08 ppb) for spermine and spermidine, respectively. The interaction was primarily electrostatic, which led to disaggregation. Additionally, the host–amine ensemble was used for formalin detection. The potential for the real-world application of this receptor was demonstrated by fabricating a portable test kit, which not only exhibits its capability in detecting biogenic amines in an aqueous environment, but also in its qualitative estimation of the freshness of fish and chicken.