Luminescence energy transfer detection of PSA in red region based on Mn2+-enhanced NaYF4:Yb, Er upconversion nanorods

•Mn2+-enhanced NaYF4:Yb, Er upconversion red luminescence nanorods were prepared.•Gold NRs (acceptor) were prepared.•An optical sensor based LET was developed for sensing PSA in red region.

A new turn-on luminescence energy transfer (LET) system has been designed for the detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA, a cancer marker) that utilizes Mn2+-enhanced long wavelength luminescence NaYF4:Yb, Er upconversion nanorods as the donor and gold nanorods as the acceptor. The Mn2+-doped NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion luminescence nanorods with an emission peak located in the red region were synthesized. The presence of Mn2+ markedly increased the luminescence intensity over that of the NaYF4:Yb, Er upconversion nanomaterials (excited by a 980 nm continuous wavelength laser). The surfaces of Mn2+-doped NaYF4:Yb, Er upconversion nanorods were modified with poly(acrylic acid). Antibodies against prostate specific antigen were bound to the surface of the carboxyl-functionalized upconversion nanorods, which acted as the energy donor in this LET system. Gold nanorods with an absorption band at ~666 nm were synthesized by the seed growth method, acted as the energy acceptor. The emission band of the upconversion nanorods overlapped well with the absorption band of the gold nanorods. The luminescence was quenched because of the electrostatic interactions that shortened the distance between the donor (negatively charged) and the accepter (positively charged).When the PSA antigen was added into the system, the energy acceptor and the energy donors were separated because the binding affinity between PSA and anti-PSA was greater than the electrostatic interactions, and thereby the luminescence was recovered. The linear range of detecting PSA was from 0.1172 to 18.75 ng/mL (R=0.995), with a limit of detection for PSA as low as 0.1129 ng/mL. The method was successfully applied to the sensing of PSA in human serum samples.