A new ratiometric fluorescence assay based on resonance energy transfer between biomass quantum dots and organic dye for the detection of sulfur dioxide derivatives

Sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) is considered as the fourth gas signal molecule after nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S). It plays important roles in several physiological processes. Therefore, the design and synthesis of nanoprobes for the detection of SO(2) derivatives in cells is of great significance. Herein, we report a new ratiometric fluorescence nanoprobe based on resonance energy transfer (RET) between biomass quantum dots (BQDs) and organic dye (DMI) for the detection of SO(2) derivatives. The proposed ratiometric fluorescence assay allows the determination of HSO(3)(−) in the range of 1.0 to 225 μM with a detection limit of 0.5 μM. Importantly, the proposed ratiometric fluorescence nanoprobe exhibits a high photostability and good selectivity for HSO(3)(−) over other chemical species including H(2)S and biological mercaptans. Quantitation of HSO(3)(−) in cell lysates by using the nanoprobe is demonstrated.