A selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for bilirubin in human serum based on europium(III) post-functionalized Zr(IV)-Based MOFs

Abstract

In the present study, a kind of Eu(III) post-functionalized Zr(IV)-based metal-organic framework (UiO-66(COOH)2, Zr-MOF: Eu3+) was synthesized and utilized as an independently luminescent probe for sensing bilirubin (BR) in human serum, a biomarker of jaundice hepatitis. It can be served as a turn-off fluorescent switch for BR because its red emission from Eu3+ can be easily quenched by BR through a fluorescent resonant energy transfer (FRET) process between BR and its ligands, and as a result, BR is recognized successfully. Particularly, Zr-MOF: Eu3+ has shown many appealing properties, such as high sensitivity, quick response (less than 1 min), broad response window (0–15 μM), and excellent selectivity. Most importantly, a kind of portable test paper based on Zr-MOF: Eu3+ probe has been developed for directly assessing the level of BR in real human serum and further diagnosing bilirubin-related diseases via visually observing the luminescent color variation.