Graphical abstract
A simple dual-read assay for uric acid (UA) was developed based on a combined ratiometric fluorescent and colorimetric strategy using nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs). The biosensor relies on the oxidation of UA by uricase to produce H
2
O
2
, which was then converted to
•
OH radicals by I
-
, resulting in the oxidation of
o
-phenylenediamine (OPD) to 2,3-diaminophenazine (DAP). In the presence of UA, the colorless biosensor system changed to yellow. Furthermore, the presence of DAP quenched the fluorescence emission of the N-CDs at 427 nm based on the inner filter effect (IFE). With increasing UA concentrations, the fluorescence intensity of the biosensor at 427 nm decreased but increased at 580 nm, demonstrating the ratiometric response. A strong linearity was observed between the fluorescence intensity ratio of DAP to N-CDs (
I
580
/
I
427
) and the corresponding UA concentration over the range 0.5−150 μM, and a limit of detection (S/N ratio of 3) of 0.06 μM was calculated. The dual-read assay was successfully employed in the quantitation of UA in human serum and urine samples, revealing its potential for measuring UA in clinical samples.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00604-021-04971-2.
In this study, we have developed a sensitive approach to measure organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) using graphitic-phase C3N4 nanosheets (g-C3N4) combined with a nanomaterial-based quencher MnO2 nanosheets (MnO2 NS). Because MnO2 NS could quench the fluorescence of g-C3N4 via the inner-filter effect (IFE), the enzymatic hydrolysate (thiocholine, TCh) can efficiently trigger the decomposition of MnO2 nanosheets in the presence of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and acetylthiocholine, resulting in the fluorescence recovery of g-C3N4. OPs, as inhibitors for AChE activity, can prevent the generation of TCh and decomposition of MnO2 nanosheets, accompanied by fluorescence quenching again. So the AChE-ATCh-MnO2-g-C3N4 system can be utilized to detect OPs quantitatively based on the g-C3N4 fluorescence. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range for the determination of parathion-methyl (PM) and 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate (DDVP) were found in the range of 0.1-2.1 ng/mL with a limit of detection of 0.069 ng/mL, and 0.5-16 ng/mL with a limit of detection of 0.069 ng/mL, respectively. Finally, this method was exploited for the monitoring of PM in real samples. The advantages of the assay are user-friendly, easy-to-ease, cost-effective compared to sophisticated analytical instruments.
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