A novel water-soluble flavonol-based fluorescent probe for highly specific and sensitive detection of Al3+ and its application in onion and zebrafish

Abstract

A novel and simple turn-on fluorescence probe (HD) for Al³⁺ detection was successfully developed based on flavonol derivatives. This probe exhibited a significantly enhanced fluorescence response toward Al³⁺ in aqueous solution which could be observed by naked-eye from poor fluorescence to strong light green emission. The probe HD displays highly specific detection for Al³⁺ over other competitive metal ions, and the detection limit of probe HD for Al³⁺ was determined to be 2.57 × 10^-8 M, which are much lower than the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value for drinking food/water. The binding stoichiometry of probe HD with Al³⁺ was determined to be 1:1 according to Job's plot and ESI-HRMS analysis, and the binding constant was calculated to be 2.01 × 10⁴ M^-1. The probe HD exhibited high selectivity, high sensitivity, good anti-interface ability, and wide pH application range as well as the quantitative determination in the detection of Al³⁺. The coordination mechanism of probe HD with Al³⁺ was supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and HRMS analysis. In addition, the probe HD was found to have good cell permeability and could be applied for live-cell imaging to detect Al³⁺ in onions and zebrafish.

Keywords: Al(3+); Aqueous medium; Bio-imaging; Flavonol; Fluorescent probe; Turn on.