A sensitive fluorescent biosensor for the detection of copper ion inspired by biological recognition element pyoverdine

The environmental copper pollution seriously threatens the health of organisms and the safety of ecosystem. Therefore, the development of a simple and sensitive method to detect copper ion is very important. In this study, we have developed a fluorescent biosensor based on biological recognition element pyoverdine to selectively detect copper ion. The fluorescence of pyoverdine is quenched obviously after binding with copper ion. A good linearity within the range of 0.2-10 mu M (R= 0.997) is attained and the detection limit is 50 nM. The biosensor has been successfully utilized for the detection of copper ion in drinking water, seawater and bio-samples and the results agree well with those obtained by the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Therefore, the established biosensor is a creditable method to detect copper ion with high sensitivity and selectivity, which can be utilized as a powerful tool to monitor copper pollution in the environment. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved