Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A* STAR), 138667, Singapore.
J Am Chem Soc. 2015 Feb 18;137(6):2336-42. doi: 10.1021/ja5115248. Epub 2015 Feb 6.
Development of highly sensitive and selective sensing systems of divalent zinc ion (Zn(2+)) in organisms has been a growing interest in the past decades owing to its pivotal role in cellular metabolism, apoptosis, and neurotransmission. Herein, we report the rational design and synthesis of a Zn(2+) fluorescent-based probe by assembling lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with chromophores. Specifically, upconversion luminescence (UCL) can be effectively quenched by the chromophores on the surface of nanoparticles via a fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET) process and subsequently recovered upon the addition of Zn(2+), thus allowing for quantitative monitoring of Zn(2+). Importantly, the sensing system enables detection of Zn(2+) in real biological samples. We demonstrate that this chromophore-UCNP nanosystem is capable of implementing an efficient in vitro and in vivo detection of Zn(2+) in mouse brain slice with Alzheimer's disease and zebrafish, respectively.
在过去几十年中，由于二价锌离子 (Zn(2+)) 在细胞代谢、细胞凋亡和神经递质传递中起着关键作用，因此开发高度敏感和选择性的生物体内 Zn(2+) 传感系统一直是人们关注的热点。在此，我们报告了通过将掺杂镧系元素的上转换纳米粒子 (UCNPs) 与发色团组装在一起，合理设计和合成基于 Zn(2+) 的荧光探针。具体来说，通过荧光共振能量转移 (FRET) 过程，纳米粒子表面的发色团可以有效地猝灭上转换发光 (UCL)，并且在添加 Zn(2+) 后可以恢复，从而可以定量监测 Zn(2+)。重要的是，该传感系统能够检测真实生物样品中的 Zn(2+)。我们证明，该发色团-UCNP 纳米系统能够分别在具有阿尔茨海默病的小鼠脑切片和斑马鱼中实现 Zn(2+) 的高效体外和体内检测。
