Spectrofluorimetric determination of bilirubin in serum samples

A new spectrofluorimetric method was developed for determination of trace amount of bilirubin. Using oxytetracycline–Eu³⁺ as a fluorescent probe, in the buffer solution of pH = 7.3, bilirubin can reduce remarkably the fluorescence intensity of the oxytetracycline–Eu³⁺ complex at λ = 612 nm and the reduced fluorescence intensity was in proportion to the concentration of bilirubin. Optimum conditions for the determination of bilirubin were also investigated. The linear range and limit of detection for the determination of bilirubin were 5.0 × 10^?7, 3.0 × 10^?5 and 7.7 × 10^?8 mol L^?1, respectively. This method is simple, practical and relatively free of interference from coexisting substances and can be successfully applied to assess bilirubin in serum samples and compared with the modified Jendrassik–Grof method in clinical analysis. The quenching mechanism of the fluorescence intensity in the system is also discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new spectrofluorimetric method for determination of trace amounts histamine in human urine and serum

A new spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of histamine in human urine and serum samples. In NaAc–HAc buffer solution of pH 4.0, histamine can react with the acetylacetone–formaldehyde system to produce a fluorescent derivative which emits yellow‐green fluorescence at 476 nm, according to the Hantzsch reaction, and the enhanced fluorescence intensity is in proportion to the concentration of histamine. Optimum conditions for the determination of histamine were also investigated. The dynamic range and detection limit for the determination of histamine is 5.96 × 10^–8–1.50 × 10^–5 mol/L and 4.35 × 10^–8mol/L, respectively. This method is practical and can be successfully applied to determination of histamine in human urine and serum samples. A proposal of the reaction pathway is suggested. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of pholcodine in syrups and human plasma using the chemiluminescence system of tris(1,10 phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) and acidic Ce(IV)

Pholcodine is an opiate derivative drug which is widely used in pediatric medicine. In this study, a chemiluminescence (CL) method is described that determines pholcodine in human plasma and syrup samples. This method is based on the fact that pholcodine can greatly enhance the weak CL emission of reaction between tris(1,10 phenanthroline)ruthenium(II), Ru(phen)₃²⁺, and acidic Ce(IV). The CL mechanism is described in detail using UV–vis light, fluorescence and CL spectra. Effects of chemical variables were investigated and under optimum conditions, CL intensity was proportional to the pholcodine concentration over the range 4.0 × 10^?8 to 8.0 × 10^?6 mol  L^?1. The limit of detection (LOD) (S/N = 3) was 2.5 × 10^?8 mol  L^?1. Percent of relative standard deviations (%RSD) for 3.0 × 10^?7 and 3.0 × 10^?6 mol  L^?1 of pholcodine was 2.9 and 4.0%, respectively. Effects of common ingredients were investigated and the method was applied successfully to the determination of pholcodine in syrup samples and human plasma.     

Flow injection assays for NADH and ethanol using photosensitized rose bengal and luminol–copper (II) chemiluminescence system

The online photoreaction of the rose bengal photosensitized luminol–copper (II) chemiluminescence (CL) system was used for the determination of β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and ethanol (EtOH) in pharmaceutical formulations combined with a flow injection technique. NADH can significantly enhance the CL emission of the reaction. For EtOH, alcohol dehydrogenase in soluble form was utilized in the presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide resulting in NADH production. The limit of detection (3σ blank, 𝑛 = 3) of 4.0 × 10⁻⁸ and 2.17 × 10⁻⁵ M, and linear range 1.3 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ M (R² = 0.9998, n = 6) and 0.11–2.17 × 10⁻³ M (R² = 0.9996, n = 6) were obtained for NADH and EtOH respectively. The injection rate was 100 h⁻¹ with a relative standard deviation (n = 3) of 1.5–4.8% in the range studied for both analytes. The procedure was satisfactorily applied to pharmaceutical formulations with recoveries in the range 91.6 ± 3.0% to 110 ± 2.0% for NADH and 88 ± 3.0% to 95.4 ± 4.0% for EtOH. The results obtained were very consistent and did not differ considerably from the reported approaches at a 95% confidence limit. The possible mechanism of the CL reaction is also explained briefly.     

Determination of pioglitazone hydrochloride by flow injection chemiluminescence tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)–silver(III) complex system

A novel flow injection-chemiluminescence (FI–CL) approach is proposed for the assay of pioglitazone hydrochloride (PG-HCl) based on its enhancing influence on the tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)–silver(III) complex (Ru(bipy)₃²⁺-DPA) CL system in sulfuric acid medium. The possible CL reaction mechanism is discussed with CL and ultraviolet (UV) spectra. The optimum experimental conditions were found as: Ru(bipy)₃²⁺, 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ M; sulfuric acid, 1.0 × 10⁻³ M; diperiodatoargentate(III) (DPA), 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M; potassium hydroxide, 1.0 × 10⁻³ M; flow rate 4.0 ml min⁻¹ for each flow stream and sample loop volume, 180 μl. The CL intensity of PG-HCl was linear in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻³ to 5.0 mg L⁻¹ (R² = 0.9998, n = 10) with limit of detection [LOD, signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) = 3] of 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ mg L⁻¹, limit of quantification (LOQ, S/N = 10) of 6.7 × 10⁻⁴ mg L⁻¹, relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.0 to 3.3% and sampling rate of 106 h⁻¹. The methodology was satisfactorily used to quantify PG-HCl in pharmaceutical tablets with recoveries ranging from 93.17 to 102.77 and RSD from 1.9 to 2.8%.     

A ratiometric fluorescence strategy based on copper nanoclusters/carbon dots for sensitive detection of doxorubicin

Sensitive detection of doxorubicin (DOX) is critical for clinical theranostics. A novel ratiometric fluorescence strategy based on the inner filter effect (IFE) has been established for the sensitive detection of DOX by designing a ratiometric fluorescence probe. In the presence of DOX, the fluorescence intensity of copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) at 485 nm decreases, and the fluorescence intensity of carbon dots at 560 nm increases. Therefore, DOX can be quantitatively detected by measuring the ratio of the fluorescence intensities at 560 and 485 nm (F₅₆₀/F₄₈₅). The F₅₆₀/F₄₈₅ ratio exhibits a linear correlation with the DOX concentration in the range from 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ M to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M with the detection limit of 3.7 nM. Furthermore, this method was also successfully applied to the analysis of DOX in human plasma samples, affording an effective platform for drug safety management.     

FeS2 nanosheets–luminol–O2 chemiluminescence method for determination of venlafaxine hydrochloride,imipramine hydrochloride,and cefazolin sodium

This study introduces a novel chemiluminescence (CL) approach utilizing FeS₂ nanosheets (NSs) catalyzed luminol–O₂ CL reaction for the measurement of three pharmaceuticals, namely venlafaxine hydrochloride (VFX), imipramine hydrochloride (IPM), and cefazolin sodium (CEF). The CL method involved the phenomenon of quenching induced by the pharmaceuticals in the CL reaction. To achieve the most quenching efficacy of the pharmaceuticals in the CL reaction, the concentrations of reactants comprising luminol, NaOH, and FeS₂ NSs were optimized accordingly. The calibration curves demonstrated exceptional linearity within the concentration range spanning from 4.00 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.00 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹, 1.00 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.00 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, and 4.00 × 10⁻⁶ to 2.00 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ with detection limits (3σ) of 3.54 × 10⁻⁷, 1.08 × 10⁻⁸, and 2.63 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ for VFX, IPM, and CEF, respectively. This study synthesized FeS₂ NSs using a facile hydrothermal approach, and then the synthesized FeS₂ NSs were subjected to a comprehensive characterization using a range of spectroscopic methods. The proposed CL method was effective in measuring the aforementioned pharmaceuticals in pharmaceutical formulations as well as different water samples. The mechanism of the CL system has been elucidated.     

Environmentally friendly protocol for the determination of sitagliptin phosphate in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids using l-tyrosine as a fluorescence probe

A responsive spectrofluorometric method was developed for the determination of sitagliptin phosphate using l -tyrosine as a fluorescence probe. The fluorescence intensity of l -tyrosine was quenched with sitagliptin phosphate. The fluorescence intensity was recorded at 307 nm using a 272 nm excitation wavelength. The calibration plot between fluorescence intensity and the concentration of drug was linear in the range of 0.1 to 2.0 mM with a good correlation value of 0.997. The limit of detection and quantification were established to be 3.7 × 10⁻⁴ and 1.23 × 10⁻³ mM, respectively. Commonly used excipients did not interfere with sitagliptin phosphate measurement. The proposed method was used to measure the sitagliptin phosphate in its standard type, dosage form, and biological samples. The percent recovery ranged from 97.41–103.36%. The static quenching was shown to be responsible for quenching as indicated by the Stern–Volmer plot. The method was validated using ICH guidelines and profitably applied for the content uniformity test, resulting in a high percent recovery and small relative standard deviation. The proposed approach is effortless, susceptible, selective, economic, and provides a high precision and accuracy, and can be used to determine sitagliptin phosphate in the pharmaceutical industry.     

Synthesis and characterization of phenothiazine sensor for spectrophotometric and fluorescence detection of cyanide

A sensitive and selective phenothiazine-based sensor (PTZ) has been successfully synthesized. The sensor PTZ displayed specific identification of CN⁻ ‘turn-off’ fluorescence responses with a quick reaction and strong reversibility in an acetonitrile:water (90:10, V/V) solution. The sensor PTZ for detecting CN⁻ exhibits the marked advantages of quenching the fluorescence intensity, fast response time (60 s), and low value of the detection limit. The concentration that is authorized for drinking water by the WHO (1.9 μM) is far higher than the detection limit, which was found to be 9.11 × 10⁻⁹. The sensor displays distinct colorimetric and spectrofluorometric detection for CN⁻ anion due to the addition of CN⁻ anion to the electron-deficient vinyl group of PTZ, which reduces intramolecular charge transfer efficiencies. The 1:2 binding mechanism of PTZ with CN⁻ was validated by fluorescence titration, Job's plot, HRMS, ¹H NMR, FTIR analysis, and density functional theory (DFT) investigations, among other methods. Additionally, the PTZ sensor was successfully used to precisely and accurately detect cyanide anions in actual water samples.     

Rapid determination of gatifloxacin in biological samples and pharmaceutical products using europium‐sensitized fluorescence spectrophotometry

A europium‐sensitized fluorescence spectrophotometry method using an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate (SDBS), was developed for the determination of gatifloxacin (GFLX). The GFLX–Eu³⁺–SDBS system was studied and it was found that SDBS significantly enhanced the fluorescence intensity of the GFLX–Eu³⁺ complex (about 25‐fold). The optimal experimental conditions were determined as follows: excitation and emission wavelengths of 338 and 617 nm, pH 7.5, 3.0 × 10^–6 mol/L europium(III), and 5.0 × 10^–5 mol/L SDBS. The enhanced fluorescence intensity of the system (ΔI_f) showed a good linear relationship with the concentration of GFLX over the range 1.0 × 10^–8–8.0 × 10^–7 mol/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.9990. The detection limit (S:N = 3) was determined as 1.0 × 10^–9 mol/L. This method has been successfully applied for the determination of GFLX in pharmaceuticals and human urine/serum samples. Compared with most other methods reported, the rapid and simple procedure proposed here offered higher sensitivity, wider linear range and good stability. The luminescence mechanism of the system is also discussed in detail. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel method to determine total and free serum bilirubin.

The determination of total (unconjugated) and free serum bilirubin concentrations using a novel and sensitive method based on static fluorescence quenching of daneyl bovine serum albumin was developed. The method allowed the use of a sample of 5 μl or less to determine total bilirubin over a range of 10–200 μg/ml with good recovery (94.9 ± 2.2%). For the determination of total bilirubin, a denaturation medium containing 8 m urea, 10 mm dithloerythreitol, and 0.1 m Tris was employed to eliminate interference by human serum albumin itself. The method was also tested with patients' sera containing negligible conjugated bilirubin in order to compare it to a commonly used “diazo” method. The correlation between the two methods gave a practically linear relation (γ = 0.99). The effects of a number of potentially interfering substances were tested and the results showed the test was specific for bilirubin. Concentrations of free bilirubin were determined without adding a denaturation agent. The experimental values were in agreement with those calculated theoretically using the isotherm of a single binding site and an association constant of human serum albumin to bilirubin of 1.5 × 10⁸m^?1.     

A signal-switchable fluorescent probe for detection of HPO42− based on 5,10,15,20-(4-sulphonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS4)

In this study, 5,10,15,20-(4-sulphonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS₄) was selected as a fluorescent probe due to its excellent characteristics including high quantum yield, good water solubility, and exceptional biocompatibility. With an excitation wavelength set at 515 nm, the optimal fluorescence emission wavelength for TPPS₄ was measured at 642 nm. At this moment, the fluorescence signal of TPPS₄ pink solution was in the ‘ON’ state. The fluorescence intensity of TPPS₄ was quenched when ascorbic acid (AA) was introduced, which was due to the electron transfer quenching effect between AA and TPPS₄. The colour of the corresponding solution changed from pink to green, and the fluorescence signal was in the ‘OFF’ state. When HPO₄²⁻ was further introduced into the TPPS₄–AA system, the quenched fluorescence intensity of TPPS₄ was recovered due to the unique interaction between HPO₄²⁻ and AA. At this time, the colour of the corresponding solution changed from green to red, and the fluorescence signal was in the ‘ON’ state. Therefore, an ‘ON–OFF–ON’ signal-switchable fluorescent probe was constructed based on TPPS₄ to detect HPO₄²⁻. The results showed that the linear range of HPO₄²⁻ was 4.0 × 10⁻⁹ to 1.7 × 10⁻⁶ M, and the detection limit was 1.3 × 10⁻⁹ M (S/N = 3). The sensing system exhibited high accuracy and sensitivity, and it could be used successfully to detect HPO₄²⁻ in real samples.     

Near-infrared triple-helical peptide with quenched fluorophores for optical imaging of MMP-2 and MMP-9 proteolytic activity in vivo

The gelatinase members of the MMP family have consistently been associated with tumor invasiveness, which make them an attractive target for molecular imaging. We report new activatable proteolytic optical imaging agents that consist of triple-helical peptide (THP) conjugates, with high specificity to the gelatinases, bearing quenched cypate dyes. With quenching efficiencies up to 51%, the amplified fluorescence signal upon cypate₃-THP hydrolysis by the gelatinases (k_cat/K_M values of 6.4 × 10³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ to 9.1 × 10³ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for MMP-2 and MMP-9, respectively) in mice bearing human fibrosarcoma xenografted tumors was monitored with fluorescence molecular tomography. There was significant fluorescence enhancement within the tumor and this enhancement was reduced by treatment with pan-MMP inhibitor, Ilomastat. These data, combined with the gelatinase substrate specificity observed in vitro, indicated the observed fluorescence at the site of the tumor was due to gelatinase mediated hydrolysis of cypate₃-THP.     

CdTe/ZnS quantum dots as fluorescent probes for ammonium determination

Novel CdTe/ZnS quantum dot (QD) probes based on the quenching effect were proposed for the simple, rapid, and specific determination of ammonium in aqueous solutions. The QDs were modified using 3‐mercaptopropionic acid, and the fluorescence responses of the CdTe/ZnS QD probes to ammonium were detected through regularity quenching. The quenching levels of the CdTe/ZnS QDs and ammonium concentration showed a good linear relationship between 4.0 × 10^?6 and 5.0 × 10^?4 mol/L; the detection limit was 3.0 × 10^?7 mol/L. Ammonium contents in synthetic explosion soil samples were measured to determine the practical applications of the QD probes and a probable quenching mechanism was described. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spectroscopic studies on the interaction of bilirubin with liver cystatin

Studies on the role of endogenous metabolites such as bilirubin and their interactions with biomolecules have attracted considerable attention over the past several years. In this work, the interaction of bilirubin (BR) with purified goat liver cystatin (LC) was studied using fluorescence and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy. The fluorescence data proved that the fluorescence quenching of liver cystatin by BR was the result of BR–cystatin complex formation. Stern–Volmer analysis of fluorescence quenching data showed the binding constant to be 9.27 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ and the number of binding sites to be close to unity. The conformation of the BR–cystatin complex was found to change upon varying the pH of the complex. The BR–cystatin complex was found to have reduced papain inhibitory activity. Photo-illumination of BR–cystatin complex causes perturbation in the micro-environment of goat liver cystatin as indicated by red-shift. This report summarizes our research efforts to reveal the mechanism of interaction of bilirubin with liver cystatin.     

Fluorescence spectrometric study on the interaction of tamibarotene with bovine serum albumin

The interaction between tamibarotene and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied using fluorescence quenching technique and ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry. The results of experiments showed that tamibarotene could strongly quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA by a dynamic quenching mechanism. The apparent binding constant, number of binding site and corresponding thermodynamic parameters at different temperatures were calculated respectively, and the main interaction force between tamibarotene and BSA was proved to be hydrophobic force. Synchronous fluorescence spectra showed that tamibarotene changed the molecular conformation of BSA. When BSA concentration was 1.00 × 10^?6 mol L^?1, the quenched fluorescence ΔF had a good linear relationship with the concentration of tamibarotene in the range 1.00 × 10^?6 to 12.00 × 10^?6 mol L^?1 with the detection limit of 6.52 × 10^?7 mol L^?1. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interaction of glucose‐derived carbon quantum dots with silver and gold nanoparticles and its application for the fluorescence detection of 6‐thioguanine

The interaction of glucose‐derived carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with silver (Ag) and gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) was explored by fluorescence spectroscopy. Both metal NPs cause an efficient quenching of CQD fluorescence, which is likely due to the energy transfer process between CQDs as donors and metal NPs as acceptors. The Stern–Volmer plots were evaluated and corresponding quenching constants were found to be 1.9 × 10¹⁰ and 2.2 × 10⁸ M^?1 for AgNPs and AuNPs, respectively. The analytical applicability of these systems was demonstrated for turn‐on fluorescence detection of the anti‐cancer drug, 6‐thioguanine. Because the CQD–AgNP system had much higher sensitivity than the CQD–AuNP system, we used it as a selective fluorescence probe in a turn‐on assay of 6‐thioguanine. Under optimum conditions, the calibration graph was linear from 0.03 to 1.0 μM with a detection limit of 0.01 μM. The developed method was applied to the analysis of human plasma samples with satisfactory results.     

Binding of amifostine to human serum albumin: A biophysical study

The aim of this present work is to investigate the interaction between amifostine and human serum albumin (HSA) in simulated physiological conditions by spectroscopic methods to reveal potential toxic effects of the drug. The results reflected that amifostine caused fluorescence quenching of HSA through a static quenching process, which was further confirmed by the electrochemical experiments. The binding constants at 290, 297 and 304 K were obtained as 2.53 × 10⁵/M, 8.13 × 10⁴/M and 3.59 × 10⁴/M, respectively. There may be one binding site of amifostine on HSA. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the interaction between amifostine and HSA was driven mainly by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces. Synchronous fluorescence spectra, circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results showed amifostine binding slightly changed the conformation of HSA with secondary structural content changes. Förster resonance energy transfer study revealed high possibility of energy transfer with amifostine‐Trp‐214 distance of 3.48 nm. The results of the present study may provide valuable information for studying the distribution, toxicological and pharmacological mechanisms of amifostine in vivo. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.