Molecules (Jul 2024)

A Ratiometric Fluorescence Detection Method for Berberine Using Triplex-Containing DNA-Templated Silver Nanoclusters

  • Ming Zhu,
  • Mingyang Sun,
  • Juntong Liu,
  • Changbao Chen,
  • Yonggang Yang,
  • Ye Teng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29153459
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 29, no. 15
p. 3459

Abstract

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Berberine (BBR), as a natural isoquinoline alkaloid, has demonstrated various pharmacological activities, and is widely applied in the treatment of diseases. The quantitative analysis of BBR is important for pharmacological studies and clinical applications. In this work, utilizing the specific interaction between BBR and triplex DNA, a sensitive and selective fluorescent detecting method was established with DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs). After binding with the triplex structure in the template of DNA-AgNCs, BBR quenched the fluorescence of DNA-AgNCs and formed BBR-triplex complex with yellow–green fluorescence. The ratiometric fluorescence signal showed a linear relationship with BBR concentration in a range from 10 nM to 1000 nM, with a detection limit of 10 nM. Our method exhibited excellent sensitivity and selectivity, and was further applied in BBR detection in real samples.

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