Detection of the UV-vis silent biomarker trimethylamine-N-oxide via outer-sphere interactions in a lanthanide metal-organic framework

Hui Min; Zhonghang Chen; Zongsu Han; Kunyu Wang; Jun Xu; Wei Shi; Peng Cheng

doi:10.1038/s42004-022-00690-8

Detection of the UV-vis silent biomarker trimethylamine-N-oxide via outer-sphere interactions in a lanthanide metal-organic framework

Commun Chem. 2022 Jun 22;5(1):74. doi: 10.1038/s42004-022-00690-8.

Authors

Hui Min¹, Zhonghang Chen¹, Zongsu Han¹, Kunyu Wang¹, Jun Xu², Wei Shi³, Peng Cheng¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (MOE) and Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Center (RECAST), College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
² School of Materials Science and Engineering & National Institute for Advanced Materials Center for Rare Earth and Inorganic Functional Materials, Tianjin Key Lab for Rare Earth Materials and Applications, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China.
³ Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (MOE) and Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Center (RECAST), College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China. shiwei@nankai.edu.cn.

Abstract

Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is a biomarker of the cardiovascular disease that is one of the leading causes of worldwide death. Facile detection of TMAO can significantly improve the survival rate of this disease by allowing early prevention. However, the UV-vis silent nature of TMAO makes it intricated to be detected by conventional sensing materials or analytical instruments. Here we show a bilanthanide metal-organic framework functionalized by borono group for the recognition of TMAO. Superior sensitivity, selectivity and anti-interference ability were achieved by the inverse emission intensity changes of the two lanthanide centers. The limit of detection is 15.6 μM, covering the clinical urinary concentration range of TMAO. A smartphone application was developed based on the change in R-G-B chromaticity. The sensing mechanism via a well-matched outer-sphere interaction governing the sensing function was studied in detail, providing fundamentals in molecular level for the design of advanced sensing materials for UV-Vis silent molecules.