Turn-on fluorescent glutathione detection based on lucigenin and MnO2 nanosheets

Abstract

In this work, a glutathione (GSH) sensing nano-platform using lucigenin as a fluorescent probe in the presence of MnO₂ nanosheets was reported for the first time. Unlike the earlier fluorescent detection systems based on MnO₂ nanosheets, which depend on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) or the dynamic quenching effect (DQE), the mechanism of the quenching process of MnO₂ nanosheets on lucigenin fluorescence was attributed mainly to a static quenching effect (SQE) with a minor contribution of the inner filter effect (IFE). A double exponential fluorescence decay of lucigenin was obtained in various MnO₂ nanosheet concentrations as a result of their SQE and IFE. Based on this phenomenon and taking advantage of the redox reaction between GSH and MnO₂ nanosheets, we have developed a switch-on sensitive fluorescent method for GSH via the recovery of the MnO₂ nanosheet-quenched fluorescence of lucigenin. A good linearity range of 1.0–150.0 μM with a low limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 180.0 nM was achieved, revealing the higher sensitivity for GSH determination in comparison with the previously reported MnO₂ nanosheet-based turn-on fluorescent methods. The developed fluorescent nano-platform exhibits excellent selectivity with successful application for GSH detection in human serum plasma, indicating its good practicability for GSH sensing in biological and clinical applications.