Ratiometric fluorescent probe for alkaline phosphatase based on betaine-modified polyethylenimine via excimer/monomer conversion.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an important diagnostic indicator for a number of human diseases since abnormal level of ALP is closely related to a variety of pathological processes; hence, the development of convenient and reliable assay methods for monitoring ALP is of great significance for medical sciences as well as biological diagnostics. Herein, we report the first ratiometric fluorescent sensing system for ALP. This sensing system consists of two components: the betaine-modified and positively charged polyethylenimine (PEI) and the negatively charged pyrene derivative containing one ALP-responsive phosphate group (Py-P, an aliphatic phosphate ester). In the absence of ALP, the two-component sensing system shows the excimer's emission of Py-P, since Py-P molecules complex with the positively charged polyelectrolyte via electrostatic interactions, leading to the formation of pyrene excimers. While in the presence of ALP, the phosphate moieties are cleaved from Py-P molecules due to the enzymatic reaction, thereby destroying the electrostatic interactions; as a result, the system displays the monomer emission of Py-P. This assay system is operable in aqueous media with a very low detection limit of 0.1 U/mL. The system is capable of detecting ALP in such biological fluid as serum, and this strategy may provide a new and effective approach for designing ratiometric sensing systems for detecting other biomolecules.