An ATMND/SGI based three-way junction ratiometric fluorescent probe for rapid and sensitive detection of bleomycin

Abstract

In this work, we developed a rapid and sensitive label-free ratiometric fluorescent (FL) probe for the detection of bleomycin (BLM). The probe consists of a DNA sequence (D6) and two fluorophore groups, 2-amino-5,6,7-trimethyl-1,8-naphthalene (ATMND) and SYBR Green I (SGI). The D6 sequence could be folded into a three-way junction structure containing a C–C mismatch position in the junction pocket. The unique “Y” structure not only could entrap ATMND in the mismatch pocket with high affinity, leading to FL quenching at 408 nm, but also embed SGI in the grooves of the double-stranded portion, resulting in FL enhancement at 530 nm. In the presence of BLM–Fe(II), the “Y” structure of D6 was destroyed due to the specific cleavage of the BLM recognition site, the 5′-GT-3′ site in D6. This caused the release of ATMND and SGI and thus the ratiometric signal change of FL enhancement by ATMND and FL quenching by SGI. Under optimal conditions, the ratiometric probe exhibited a linear correlation between the intensity ratio of F₄₀₈/F₅₃₀ and the concentration of BLM in the range of 0.5–1000 nM, with a detection limit of 0.2 nM. In addition, the probe was applied to detect BLM in human serum samples with satisfactory results, indicating its good clinical application potential.