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Red pitaya peels-based carbon dots for real-time fluorometric and colorimetric assay of Au3+, cellular imaging, and antioxidant activity

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Abstract

The synthesis of fascinating multifunctional carbon dots (CDs) attracted immense attention. Here, a facile solvothermal treatment of red pitaya peels in acetic acid produced CDs (designated as ACDs, excitation/emission wavelengths at 357/432 nm). ACDs with high sp2-hybridized carbon and carboxylic group contents can rapidly and selectively reduce Au3+ to Au0, and stabilize produced Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). The synergetic effect of electron transfer from ACDs to Au3+ and inner filter effect (IFE) from ACDs to AuNPs quenches the fluorescence within 30 s. Simultaneously, the resulting AuNPs have a purple color with a maximum absorption at 545 nm for visual detection. Therefore, for the first time, we reported a fluorometric and colorimetric dual-mode sensing system for real-time, highly sensitive and selective detection of Au3+. The fluorescence quenching ratio and absorbance change linearly with the increase of Au3+ concentration in the range of 0.3–8.0 μM and 3.3–60.0 μM with limits of detection (LODs) at 0.072 μM and 2.2 μM, respectively. The assay was applied for Au3+ determination in spiked real water samples with recoveries from 95.5 to 105.0%, and relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 6.5%. Furthermore, ACDs with good photostability, low cytotoxicity, and excellent biocompatibility were successfully applied for intracellular Au3+ sensing and imaging. In addition, ACDs exhibited an extraordinarily high antioxidant activity, with an IC50 value for DPPH radical scavenging (0.70 μg mL−1) much lower than that of ascorbic acid (4.34 μg mL−1). The proposed strategy demonstrates the outstanding properties of ACDs in chemical and biomedical analysis.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31660181), and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (2018JJ1043).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital; Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha, 410078, Hunan, China

    Ying Guo & Cui Tang

  2. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, China

    Te Li, Xia Tong & Shuyun Shi

  3. Yunnan Provincial Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd, Kunming, 650000, Yunnan, China

    Te Li

  4. College of Sciences, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, 410004, Hunan, China

    Lianwu Xie

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  1. Ying Guo
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  2. Te Li
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  4. Xia Tong
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  5. Cui Tang
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Correspondence to Ying Guo, Te Li or Shuyun Shi.

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Guo, Y., Li, T., Xie, L. et al. Red pitaya peels-based carbon dots for real-time fluorometric and colorimetric assay of Au3+, cellular imaging, and antioxidant activity. Anal Bioanal Chem 413, 935–943 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-020-03049-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-020-03049-x

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