A novel peptide probe based on AIEE for detecting Mg2+ in biological systems

Abstract

Magnesium is an essential metallic element in living organisms, but its excessive release into the environment and overaccumulation within organisms can severely impact ecosystems and human health. Therefore, developing detection methods that precisely identify Mg²⁺ is crucial for environmental monitoring and biomedical applications. In this study, we designed and synthesized an AIEE-based peptide fluorescent probe, Rb-SWHEFQ-NH₂, for Mg²⁺ detection. By flexibly incorporating hydrophobic amino acids into the probe system, we prevented self-assembly into nanostructures in solution, thereby achieving excellent selectivity and stable morphological characteristics. Furthermore, this probe exhibits a low detection limit for Mg²⁺ (15.4 nM) and strong resistance to interference. Notably, Rb-SWHEFQ-NH₂ demonstrates excellent cellular permeability and low cytotoxicity, enabling its successful application in fluorescence imaging of intracellular Mg²⁺ in CT26 cells.