A MnO2 nanosheet-assisted GSH detection platform using an iridium(III) complex as a switch-on luminescent probe

A rapid and sensitive detection platform for GSH has been constructed by combining a MnO2 nanosheet with a luminescent iridium(III) complex [Ir(Cl-phq)2(Cl-phen)]+. The MnO2 nanosheet was prepared by using a facile one-step approach and was characterized by TEM. The luminescence intensity of the detection platform responded linearly with the GSH concentration from 1 to 200 μM (R2 = 0.9951), and the detection limit for GSH was 0.13 μM. More importantly, practical application of the detection platform for visualizing the intracellular GSH distribution in living zebrafish has also been demonstrated.