Dual-Emission Carbon-Dot Ratiometric Fluorescence Sensor for Morphine Recognition in Biological Samples

Biosensors (Basel). 2023 Jan 15;13(1):143. doi: 10.3390/bios13010143.

Abstract

Herein, a novel nitr[ogen-doped carbon dot (N-CD) fluorescence sensor with a dual emission ratio is developed using the microwave-assisted synthesis of m-phenylenediamine and spermidine. As a result of the fluorescence inner filtration effect (IFE) effect between morphine (MOR) and N-CD, the blue fluorescence of N-CDs at 350 nm was reduced in the presence of MOR, whereas the fluorescence of N-CDs at 456 nm increased substantially. The results demonstrated that the approach has a tremendous potential and that the linear range of MOR detection is 0.25-25 µg/mL, with a 71.8 ng/mL detection limit. Under UV light, the blue fluorescent system is easily visible to the naked eye. More significantly, the sensor proved successful in providing satisfactory results for the speciation measurement of MOR in a variety of biological samples.

Keywords: carbon dots; dual-emission; fluorescent sensor; morphine.

MeSH terms

  • Carbon
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Morphine Derivatives
  • Quantum Dots*
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence

Substances

  • Carbon
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Morphine Derivatives

Grants and funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82260337), National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Student of China (No. 202111392006), the Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Ministry of Public Security for Drug Analysis and Anti-Drug Technology (No. YNPC-B2021004) and Basic Research Project of Yunnan Province/General Project (No. 202001AT070002).