Cross-reactive sensor arrays for the detection of peptides in aqueous solution by fluorescence spectroscopy

A simple but powerful method for the sensing of peptides in aqueous solution has been developed. The transition-metal complexes [PdCl ₂(en)], [{RhCl₂Cp*}₂], and [{RuCl ₂(p-cymene)}₂] were combined with six different fluorescent dyes to build a cross-reactive sensor array. The fluorescence response of the individual sensor units was based on competitive complexation reactions between the peptide analytes and the fluorescent dyes. The collective response of the sensor array in a time-resolved fashion was used as an input for multivariate analyses. A sensor array comprised of only six metal-dye combinations was able to differentiate ten different dipeptides in buffered aqueous solution at a concentration of 50 μM. Further more, the cross-reactive sensor could be used to obtain information about the identity and the quantity of the pharmacologically interesting dipeptides carnosine and homocarnosine in a complex biological matrix, such as deproteinized human blood serum. The sensor array was also able to sense longer peptides, which was demonstrated by differentiating mixtures of the nonapeptide bradykinin and the decapeptide kallidin.