Academic Journal
Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots for FRET-Assisted and Smartphone-Enabled Fluorescent Detection of Melatonin in Biological Samples.
| Τίτλος: | Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots for FRET-Assisted and Smartphone-Enabled Fluorescent Detection of Melatonin in Biological Samples. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | M PK; Department of Chemistry, School of Science, IFTM University, Moradabad, U.P., 244102, India., Kumar H; Department of Chemistry, School of Science, IFTM University, Moradabad, U.P., 244102, India., Kung HC; Center for Environmental Toxin and Emerging-Contaminant Research, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, 833301, Taiwan.; Institute of Environmental Toxin and Emerging-Contaminant Research, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, 833301, Taiwan.; Department of Tourism and Recreation, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, 833301, Taiwan., Chung YP; Department of Leisure and Sports Management, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, 833301, Taiwan.; Department of Rehabilitation, Pingtung Veterans General Hospital, No. 1, Rongzong East Road , Pingtung City, Pingtung County, 900, Taiwan., Kumar A; Institute of Analytical and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan., Kumar V; Quantum Materials and Devices Unit, Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Sector 81, Knowledge City, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, 140306, India.; Department of Materials Science, Institute of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8573, Japan., Huang BW; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Mechatronic Engineering, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, 833301, Taiwan., Sriram B; Department of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106, Taiwan., Wang SF; Department of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 106, Taiwan., Wang CL; Center for Environmental Toxin and Emerging-Contaminant Research, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, 833301, Taiwan.; Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, 833301, Taiwan., Chen YL; Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan. feymanchen@gmail.com.; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, 333, Taiwan. feymanchen@gmail.com., Kaur A; Department of Chemistry, School of Science, IFTM University, Moradabad, U.P., 244102, India. amanpreet2225@gmail.com., Kogularasu S; Center for Environmental Toxin and Emerging-Contaminant Research, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, 833301, Taiwan. kogularasu@gmail.com.; Institute of Environmental Toxin and Emerging-Contaminant Research, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, 833301, Taiwan. kogularasu@gmail.com. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of fluorescence [J Fluoresc] 2026 Jun; Vol. 36 (6), pp. 4057-4070. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 18. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer- Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 9201341 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-4994 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10530509 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Fluoresc Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Amsterdam : Springer- Original Publication: New York : Plenum Press, c1991- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Carbon Quantum Dots*/chemistry , Melatonin*/blood , Melatonin*/analysis , Nitrogen*/chemistry , Fluorescent Dyes*/chemistry , Quantum Dots*/chemistry , Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer* , Smartphone*, Carbon/chemistry ; Humans ; Fluorescence |
| Περίληψη: | Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, MLT) is an endogenous neurohormone that regulates circadian rhythms, exhibits potent antioxidant activity, and has been implicated in cancer suppression and neuroprotection. In this study, we report the design and development of a highly sensitive optical nanosensor based on nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) for the quantitative detection of MLT in human blood. The N-CQDs were synthesized via a facile pyrolysis route, yielding uniform nanodots that exhibit strong blue photoluminescence. Comprehensive structural, morphological, and optical characterizations were conducted using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and fluorescence spectroscopy, confirming the successful incorporation of nitrogen functionalities with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 36.6%. The synthesized N-CQDs exhibit a highly selective and sensitive detection towards MLT, and the sensing mechanism is plausibly governed by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-mediated quenching of N-CQD emission upon interaction with MLT. This developed probe of N-CQDs achieved an impressive detection limit of 4.68 nM, demonstrating its potential for biomedical diagnostic applications. Furthermore, the system was successfully integrated into a smartphone-assisted sensing platform for portable and real-time MLT monitoring. Quantitative analysis of spiked human blood samples exhibited excellent recovery values ranging from 96.1% to 104.2%, validating the reliability and applicability of the proposed N-CQD-based sensor for clinical and point-of-care analysis. (© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Carbon quantum dots; Fluorescent detection; Förster resonance energy transfer; Melatonin biosensor; Real-time monitoring |
| Substance Nomenclature: | JL5DK93RCL (Melatonin) N762921K75 (Nitrogen) 0 (Fluorescent Dyes) 7440-44-0 (Carbon) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260618 Date Completed: 20260703 Latest Revision: 20260703 |
| Update Code: | 20260703 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10895-026-04823-3 |
| PMID: | 42315719 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1573-4994 |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/s10895-026-04823-3 |