A highly sensitive fluorescence nanosensor for determination of amikacin antibiotics using composites of carbon quantum dots and gold nanoparticles

Quang Khanh Nguyen; Dinh Thi Nguyen; Thi Mai Anh Pham; Bach Pham; Thi Anh Huong Nguyen; Tien Duc Pham; Shuchi Sharma; Duc Thang Pham; Ranga Rao Gangavarapu; Thi Ngoc Mai Pham

doi:10.1016/j.saa.2023.123466

A highly sensitive fluorescence nanosensor for determination of amikacin antibiotics using composites of carbon quantum dots and gold nanoparticles

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2024 Jan 15:305:123466. doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2023.123466. Epub 2023 Sep 27.

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science, Vietnam National University, 19 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi 11000, Vietnam; Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea.
² Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science, Vietnam National University, 19 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi 11000, Vietnam.
³ Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
⁴ Phenikaa University Nano Institute, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi 12116, Vietnam; Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi 12116, Vietnam.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India. Electronic address: grrao@iitm.ac.in.
⁶ Faculty of Chemistry, University of Science, Vietnam National University, 19 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi 11000, Vietnam. Electronic address: phamthingocmai@hus.edu.vn.

PMID: 37778174
DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2023.123466

Abstract

Amikacin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic widely used to treat various bacterial infections in humans. However, elevated concentrations of amikacin can damage the cochlear nerve. Thus, accurate and rapid amikacin detection is crucial. In this study, we developed an "on-off" fluorescence nanosensor for highly sensitive amikacin determination based on a composite of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The method quenches CQD fluorescence (turn-off) when they bind to AuNPs but restores it (turn-on) when amikacin binds and releases the CQDs. Adding Cu²⁺ enhances sensitivity by cross-linking amikacin-coated AuNPs. Under optimal conditions (pH 4, 1 mM Na₂SO₄, 1 mM CuSO₄), the method achieved a low detection limit of 3.5 × 10^-11 M (0.02 ppb), a wide linear range (10^-10 to 10^-8 M), high precision (RSD < 5 %), and a rapid 2-minute response time. Exceptional selectivity was observed over other antibiotics. The CQDs/AuNPs-based sensor successfully detected amikacin in pharmaceutical and surface water samples. This approach offers a fast on-site analytical method for amikacin detection, with potential applications in clinical and environmental settings.

Keywords: Amikacin; CQDs; Gold nanoparticles; “on–off” fluorescence.

MeSH terms

Amikacin
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Carbon
Gold
Humans
Metal Nanoparticles*
Quantum Dots*

Substances

Gold
Amikacin
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Carbon