
Figure 1. Portable detection platform for visual quantitative monitoring of mesna. 1 credit
As an important regional antidote to protect the urinary system of chemotherapy patients, mesna (a drug given with chemotherapy to reduce bleeding in the bladder) must be monitored in real time to ensure a curative effect. The fluorescence method is a powerful tool for real-time detection, with the advantages of rapid response and visualization. However, background interference limits its application in biological sensing.
To solve this problem, a research team led by Professor Jiang Changlong of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Sciences (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) recently proposed a new method for visual mesna detection. The results were published in Analytical Chemistry.
In this study, researchers visually monitored quantitative mesna in real time with a newly developed wearable sensing platform including an upconversion-based nanosensor.
The nanosensor was constructed by upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) and ethyl violet (EV), in which UCNPs acted as donors and EVs as quenchers.
The addition of mesna caused the fluorescent and colorimetric chromaticity variations, realizing the dual-read function of the nanosensor. Benefiting from the upconversion luminescence excited by near infrared rays, the background interference of biological samples was eliminated and effectively improved the sensitivity of detection. The lower limit of detection (LOD) of the nanosensor was as low as 26 and 48 nM for fluorescence and colorimetric signals, respectively.

Figure 2. RGB analysis of upconversion luminescence using a smartphone. 1 credit
Additionally, a highly compatible portable detection platform was designed for easy detection of mesna with a detection limit of 56 nM.
The nanosensor has good selectivity and anti-interference ability and shows good reliability in actual sample detection.
The platform can be developed as a point-of-care testing application for real-time monitoring of mesna levels to guide dose adjustments and therapeutic efficacy. It provides a simple and reliable strategy for clinical drug monitoring and presents potential application perspectives.
Luminescent sensors developed for the highly sensitive detection of semicarbazide and heparin
Bin Hu et al, A portable sensing platform using an upconversion-based nanosensor for visual quantitative monitoring of Mesna, Analytical Chemistry (2022). DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c00380
Provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences
Quote: Upconversion Based Nanosensor Developed for Chemotherapy Drug Detection (2022, May 30) Retrieved May 30, 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-upconversion-based-nanosensor-chemotherapy-drug .html
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