Mechanism of intracellular detection of glucose through nonenzymatic and boronic acid functionalized carbon dots.

The objective of the research described here is to elucidate the fundamental mechanism by which the new class of "inert" non-enzymatic and boronic acid functionalized carbon dots-based sensors facilitate intracellular detection of glucose. The study suggests that the mechanism of detection of glucose involved selective assembly and fluorescence quenching of the carbon dots with excellent dynamic response to varying concentration of glucose within the biological range (1-100 mM). The strong dynamic response was related to high selectivity to biomolecules and inertness of carbon dots. Furthermore, the functionalization of carbon dots with boronic acid was the governing factor response for the passive character of the carbon dots. The study lays the foundation for the new field of carbon-based nanochemosensors.