A Dual pH/O2 Sensing Film Based on Functionalized Electrospun Nanofibers for Real-Time Monitoring of Cellular Metabolism

Abstract

Real-time monitoring of dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH is of great significance for understanding cellular metabolism. Herein, a dual optical pH/O2 sensing membrane was prepared by the electrospinning method. Cellulose acetate (CA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofiber membrane blended with platinum (II)-5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)-porphyrin (PtTFPP) was used as the DO sensing matrix, upon which electrospun nanofiber membrane of chitosan (CS) coupled with fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate (FITC) was used as the pH sensing matrix. The electrospun sensing film prepared from biocompatible biomaterials presented good response to a wide range of DO concentrations and physiological pH. We used it to monitor the exracellular acidification and oxygen consumption levels of cells and bacteria. This sensing film can provide a luminescence signal change as the DO and pH change in the growth microenvironment. Due to its advantages of good biocompatibility and high stability, we believe that the dual functional film has a high value in the field of biotechnology research.

On the Use of Polymer-Based Composites for the Creation of Optical Sensors: A Review

“…They are quite diverse from a chemical point of view, but at the same time they satisfy one of the main requirements for composite materials—customizability of structure and composition combined with a fairly high versatility [ 140 ]. For example, a membrane was made for simultaneous measurement of pH and dissolved O 2 (DO) [ 141 ]. The authors used platinum (II)-5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)-porphyrin (PtTFPP) distributed in cellulose acetate (CA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) membrane for oxygen sensing.…”