Bio-inspired molecularly imprinted polymer-green emitting carbon dot composite for selective and sensitive detection of 3-nitrotyrosine as a biomarker

A novel fluorescent sensor was fabricated for 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) by using bio-inspired molecularly imprinted polymer as a receptor and green emitting carbon dots (CDs) as a signal transducer. The sensor was simply prepared by immersing CDs in a weak alkaline solution of dopamine containing 3-NT as template. After extracting the embedded template molecules, imprinted binding sites are left in the composite (BMIP@CDs) that selectively recognize the target molecules. The fluorescence intensity of BMIP@CDs is significantly quenched by 3-NT, which forms the basis for its sensitive detection. The sensor was applied for determination of 3-NT in linear concentration range of 0.050-1.85 mu M with a detection limit of 17 nM. It exhibited excellent selectivity and a high binding affinity to 3-NT over structurally related compounds and utilized for the detection of 3-NT in spiked human serum samples. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.