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  3. Visual determination of heparin in serum utilizing surfen-induced aggregation emission enhancement of gold nanoclusters and heparin-induced fluorescence enhancement of surfen

Visual determination of heparin in serum utilizing surfen-induced aggregation emission enhancement of gold nanoclusters and heparin-induced fluorescence enhancement of surfen

  • Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2025 Apr 15:339:126251. doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2025.126251.
Aravindan Varatharajan 1,  Manivannan Madhu 2,  Jia-Rong Xu 1,  Yin-Yu Chou 1,  Wei-Bin Tseng 3,  Chi-Yu Lu 4,  Wei-Lung Tseng 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-sen University, No. 70 Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.
  • 2 Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-sen University, No. 70 Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan; Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Thandalam, Chennai, India.
  • 3 Department of Environmental Engineering, Da-Yeh University, No.168, University Road, Dacun, Changhua 515006, Taiwan.
  • 4 Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, No. 100, Shiquan 1st Road, Sanmin District, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
  • 5 Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-sen University, No. 70 Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan; Center for Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, National Sun Yat-sen University, No. 70 Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan; School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, No.100, Shiquan 1st Rd., 80708 Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Electronic address: tsengwl@mail.nsysu.edu.tw.
PMID: 40252541 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2025.126251
Abstract

We developed a ratiometric luminescence probe for heparin detection based on the interactions among surfen, glutathione-capped gold nanoclusters (GSH-AuNCs), and heparin. At neutral pH, surfen triggers aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) in GSH-AuNCs, forming dual-emission surfen-AuNC aggregates with fluorescence at 490 nm and 610 nm. Heparin competitively binds to surfen, displacing it from the aggregates, resulting in decreased fluorescence at 610 nm and increased emission at 490 nm, enabling both ratiometric and visual heparin detection. Investigations of the AIEE mechanism reveal that surfen reduces electrostatic repulsion and enhances van der Waals interactions, facilitating nanocluster aggregation. Theoretical models based on the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory were employed to quantify these interactions. The probe demonstrates a linear response for heparin concentrations between 0.5 and 10 μM, with a detection limit of 0.2 μM, suitable for clinical monitoring. In 10-fold diluted human plasma, the probe maintains sensitivity, allowing naked eye detection of heparin through distinct color changes. These findings highlight this ratiometric probe as a practical, sensitive, and accessible tool for heparin quantification in complex clinical samples, surpassing the limitations of single-emission probes.

Keywords

AIEE; Glutathione; Gold nanoclusters; Ratiometric sensing; Surfen.

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