Photoluminescence intensity ratio of Eu-conjugated lactates—A simple optical imaging technique for biomarker analysis for critical diseases

Abstract

Instant measurement of elevated biomarkers such as lactic acid offers the most promising approaches for early treatment and prevention of many critical diseases including cardiac arrest, stroke, septic shock, trauma, liver dysfunction, as well as for monitoring lactic acid level during intense exercise. In the present study, a unique dependence of visible photoluminescence of Eu3+ ions resulting from 5D0 to 7FJ(J = 0,1,2,3,4) transitions, which can be exploited for rapid detection of biomarkers, both in vitro and ex vivo, has been reported. It is observed that the integrated intensity ratio of photoluminescence signals dominating at 591 and 616 nm originating from 5D0 to 7F2 and 5D0 to 7F1 transitions in Eu3+ ions can be used as a biosensing and bioimaging tool for detection of biomarkers released at disease states. The Eu3+ integrated photoluminescence intensity ratio approach reported herein for optical detection of lactates in blood serum, plasma and confocal imaging of brain tissues has very high potential for exploitation of this technique in both in vitro monitoring and in vivo bioimaging applications for the detection of biomarkers in various diseases states.