Visible-light excitable Eu3+-induced hyaluronic acid-chitosan aggregates with heterocyclic ligands for sensitive and fast recognition of hazardous ions

Abdur Raheem Aleem; Wei Ding; Jin Liu; Taisen Li; Yaowei Guo; Qian Wang; Yao Wang; Yanxin Wang; Faisal U L Rehman; Matt J Kipper; Laurence A Belfiore; Jianguo Tang

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.06.051

Visible-light excitable Eu³⁺-induced hyaluronic acid-chitosan aggregates with heterocyclic ligands for sensitive and fast recognition of hazardous ions

Int J Biol Macromol. 2021 Aug 1:184:188-199. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.06.051. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Hybrid Materials, National Center of International Joint Research for Hybrid Materials Technology, National Base of International Sci. & Technology Cooperation on Hybrid Materials, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao 266071, China.
² Department of Medical Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266003, China.
³ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
⁴ Institute of Hybrid Materials, National Center of International Joint Research for Hybrid Materials Technology, National Base of International Sci. & Technology Cooperation on Hybrid Materials, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao 266071, China; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
⁵ Institute of Hybrid Materials, National Center of International Joint Research for Hybrid Materials Technology, National Base of International Sci. & Technology Cooperation on Hybrid Materials, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao 266071, China. Electronic address: tang@qdu.edu.cn.

PMID: 34119544
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.06.051

Abstract

Water-soluble luminescent lanthanide complexes that can be excited with visible light could enable rapid detection of toxic anions and cations in biological systems. Eu³⁺-induced hyaluronic acid-chitosan aggregates (EIHCA) can improve the stability, biocompatibility, efficiency, and light absorption of luminescent Eu³⁺ complexes. Visible-range excitation may avoid phototoxicity associated with overexposure to UV light in biological and ecological applications. In this work, we synthesized and characterized series of EIHCA complexes having three N-donor heterocyclic ligands: 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Dphen), 2,2': 6',2″-terpyridine (Tpy) and 1,10-phenanthroline monohydrate (Phen). These complexes possessed bright red fluorescence with a visible range excitation maximum. The photophysical properties of one formulation (we denote as EDL6) include fast quenching response (20 s) of the fluorescence, multi-selectivity, low limit of detection, and high quenching (K_sv) values, enabling selective, rapid and sensitive recognition of Cr₂O₇^2- and Fe³⁺ in aqueous solution. Furthermore, EDL6 exhibits cytocompatibility with mammalian cells that make these complexes promising biocompatible candidate as a safe replacement of organic fluorophores for fluorescence sensing applications. Thus, these new EIHCA complexes were successfully employed for the selective detection of hazardous materials in biological and aqueous environment samples.

Keywords: Biocompatibility; Eu(III) ions; Fluorescence sensor; Polyelectrolytes; Toxic ions.

MeSH terms

A549 Cells
Biosensing Techniques
Chitosan / chemistry*
Chromates / analysis
Europium / chemistry*
Humans
Hyaluronic Acid / chemistry*
Ions / analysis*
Iron / analysis
Ligands
Light
Limit of Detection
Materials Testing

Substances

Chromates
Ions
Ligands
Europium
Hyaluronic Acid
Chitosan
Iron