Alizarin red S/copper ion-based ensemble for fluorescence turn on detection of glutathione with tunable dynamic range

In this study, a new type of rapid, high sensitive and selective fluorescence turn-on assay for detection of glutathione using an Alizarin Red S/copper ion ensemble is developed. This assay is based on the highly specific interaction between the glutathione and the copper ions and the strong fluorescence Alizarin Red S probe in a competition assay format. The system is simple in design, fast in operation and is more convenient and promising than other methods. The novel strategy eliminated the separation process, chemical modifications, and sophisticated instrumentations. The detection and discrimination process can be seen with the naked eye and can be easily adapted to automated high-throughput screening. The assay has high sensitivity and selectivity for glutathione. The detection limit is 2.3 nM, it is lower than or at least comparable to previous methods. The dynamic range of the sensor can be tuned simply by adjusting the concentration of copper ions. Importantly, the protocol offers high selectivity for the determination of glutathione among amino acids found in proteins, as well as in serum samples. The assay shows great potential for practical application as a disease-associated biomarker and it will be needed to satisfy the great demand of amino acid determination in the fields such as biochemistry, pharmaceuticals, and clinical analysis.

► A novel colorimetric sensor for glutathione detection was developed.
► The sensor is based on specific interaction between the glutathione and copper ions.
► The system is simple in design and fast in operation.
► The detection limit of the sensor is 2.3 nM which is lower than previous methods.
► The assay allows sensitive and selective detection of glutathione in real samples.