Synthesis of a metal–organic framework Cu-Mi-UiO-66-based fluorescent nanoprobe for the simultaneous sensing and intracellular imaging of GSH and ATP

Abstract

This study reports a fluorescent nanoprobe operated in fluorescence turn-on mode for simultaneously sensing and imaging intracellular GSH and ATP. By using maleimide-derivatives as the ligand, the bimetallic nanoscale metal–organic framework (NMOF) Cu-Mi-UiO-66 has been synthesized for the first time using a straightforward one-step solvothermal approach, serving as a GSH recognition moiety. Subsequently, a Cy5-labeled ATP aptamer was assembled onto Cu-Mi-UiO-66 via strong coordination between phosphate and zirconium, π–π stacking and electrostatic adsorption to develop the dual-responsive fluorescence nanoprobe Cu-Mi-UiO-66/aptamer. Due to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) effect between maleimide groups and the benzene ring of the ligand and the charge transfer between Cy5 and the Zr(IV)/Cu(II) bimetal center of the NMOF, the Cu-Mi-UiO-66/aptamer exhibits a fluorescence turn-off status. The Michael addition reaction between the thiol group of GSH and the maleimide on the NMOF skeleton results in turning on of the blue fluorescence of Cu-Mi-UiO-66. Meanwhile, upon specific interaction with ATP, the aptamer changes into internal loop structures and detaches from Cu-Mi-UiO-66, resulting in turning on of the red fluorescence of Cy5. The nanoprobe demonstrated an excellent sensing performance with a good linear range (GSH, 5.0–450.0 μM; ATP, 1.0–50.0 μM) and a low detection limit (GSH, 2.17 μM; ATP, 0.635 μM). More importantly, the Cu-Mi-UiO-66/aptamer exhibits good performance for tracing intracellular concentration variations of GSH and ATP in living HepG2 cells under different stimulations. This study highlights the potential of NMOFs for multiplexed analysis and provides a valuable tool for tumor microenvironment research and early cancer diagnosis.