Time-resolved fluorescence nanoprobe of acetylcholinesterase based on ZnGeO:Mn luminescence nanorod modified with metal ions

Abstract

A novel time-resolved fluorescence nanoprobe (PBMO, PLNR-BSA-Mn²⁺-OPD) is fabricated for the label-free determination of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The ZnGeO:Mn persistent luminescence nanorod (PLNR) and Mn(II) are, respectively, exploited as the signal molecule and quencher to construct the PBMO nanopobe using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the surface-modified shell and o-phenylenediamine (OPD) as the reducing agent. In the presence of H₂O₂, the persistent luminescence of PBMO at 530 nm is enhanced remarkably within 30 s due to the oxidation of Mn(II). H₂O₂ can react with thiocholine (TCh), which is produced through the enzymatic degradation of acetylcholine (ATCh) by AChE. The PBMO nanoprobe is successfully applied to the determination of AChE in the linear range of 0.08-10 U L^-1, with a detection limit of 0.03 U L^-1 (3σ/s). The practicability of this PBMO nanoprobe is confirmed by accurately monitoring AChE contents in human serum samples, giving rise to satisfactory spiking recoveries of 96.2-103.6%.

Keywords: Acetylcholinesterase; Metal ions; Persistent luminescence nanorod; Time-resolved fluorescence nanoprobe.