Detection of Lead(II) in Living Cells by Inducing the Transformation of a Supramolecular System into Quantum Dots

Abstract

Due to the high toxicity of Pb2+, efficient in situ detection of Pb2+ is very important. Herein, a new approach for in situ probing of Pb2+ by inducing supramolecular systems to form fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) is demonstrated. At the beginning of this work, a new tetra-pillar[5]­arene derivative was designed as host H. The H and an amphiphilic guest G could assemble into supramolecular systems in aqueous solution and form nanoparticles without fluorescence emission. Interestingly, S2– could crosslink the nanoparticles, changing them into fluorescent nanorods. Notably, the Pb2+ could induce these nanorods to in situ transform into PbS QDs; meanwhile, the system showed distinct fluorescent changes, and the fluorescence quantum yield of the system showed a dramatic increase. This in situ PbS QD formation process could be applied in efficient Pb2+ sensing in water and living cells. This research also provides a simple and feasible way to detect heavy metal ions by in situ construction of fluorescent nanomaterials and QDs through a supramolecular approach.

“Two-in-One” PtPdCu Trimetallic Multifunctional Nanoparticles-Mediated Dual-Signal-Integrated Aptasensor for Ultradetection of Enrofloxacin

“…However, the majority of analytical techniques have been restricted to single-signal output modes. 35,36 Uncertainties in the single-signal reading mode may occur as a result of variations in experimental conditions, varying levels of operating experience, and the absence of a common standard for test management. 37 To address this issue, a dual mode is recently implemented; in this method, the two signals are created independently via distinct operating modes, thereby enabling them to self-calibrate effectively.…”

“…In pursuit of the detection of diverse targets, researchers have persistently sought to achieve versatile, high-precision, and sensitive systems. However, the majority of analytical techniques have been restricted to single-signal output modes. , Uncertainties in the single-signal reading mode may occur as a result of variations in experimental conditions, varying levels of operating experience, and the absence of a common standard for test management . To address this issue, a dual mode is recently implemented; in this method, the two signals are created independently via distinct operating modes, thereby enabling them to self-calibrate effectively. , Nanomaterials are introduced into the aptasensor platform to facilitate the precise conversion of the target into an electrical signal.…”

Selective Fluorescent Sensing for Iron in Aqueous Solution by A Novel Functionalized Pillar[5]arene

“…[27] Recently, a great deal of attention was devoted to design and synthesis partially functionalized pillararenes to build new structures and generate novel applications. [28][29][30][31][32][33] For example, a difunctionalized pillar [5]arenes containing two 4,4'-(1,4-phenylenedi-2,1-ethenediyl) bispyridine (DPB) units was successfully fabricated by Xiao and coworkers to selectively detect Fe 3 + /Ag + in water/DMSO. [34] While these studies mostly focused on pillararenes with linear alkyl chains, partially functionalized materials based on watersoluble pillararenes are very scarce.…”

“…Compared with other macrocycles such as crown ethers, cucurbit[n]uril and calix[n]arenes, pillararenes have advantages in convenient and versatile functionalization similar to cyclodextrins [27] . Recently, a great deal of attention was devoted to design and synthesis partially functionalized pillararenes to build new structures and generate novel applications [28–33] . For example, a difunctionalized pillar[5]arenes containing two 4,4’‐(1,4‐phenylenedi‐2,1‐ethenediyl) bis‐pyridine (DPB) units was successfully fabricated by Xiao and coworkers to selectively detect Fe 3+ /Ag + in water/DMSO [34] .…”

CuAAC-Derived Selective Fluorescent Probe as a Recognition Agent for Pb(II) and Hg(II): DFT and Docking Studies

“…The archetypal click reaction, that is, CuAAC methodology, provides a well-organized, robust, and efficient pathway to synthesize 1,2,3-triazole-based compounds for addressing the research problem of metal ion toxicity in addition to other sensing devices such as supramolecular polymers. − The development of new 1,2,3-triazole-linked compounds by stitching a terminal alkyne to an organic azide in the presence of Cu­(I) catalyst (Figure ) has been extensively explored over the past several years with increasing interest as ion-recognition devices − due to their high sensitivity, rapid response time, lower toxicity, strong biological activity, and a high degree of environmental compatibility as well as their coordination abilities, as the heteroatom-bearing aromatic rings exhibit binding to specific metal ions via ion–dipole interactions . Besides, the flexibility provided by this methodology to insert tailor-made functionalities to the 1,2,3-triazole moiety empowers the researchers to develop recognition devices that provide distinct advantages such as lower limit of detection (LoD) and visual changes to the naked eye over the other existing methodologies for ion recognition such as atomic absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry …”