Determination of Urinary 1-Hydroxypyrene for Biomonitoring of Human Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Carcinogens by a Lanthanide- functionalized Metal-Organic Framework Sensor

1-Hydroxypyrene (1-HP), which is a biomarker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) carcinogens and represents the internal dose of PAHs exposure in the human body, is detected by a newly designed luminescent Eu-functionalized metal-organic framework (1a) sensor. The luminescence of 1a can be effectively quenched by 1-HP via a fluorescent resonant energy transfer process, thus achieving its recognition of 1-HP. This is the first use of lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) as chemical sensors for 1-HP. The probe exhibits outstanding performances for sensing 1-HP, such as high selectivity, excellent sensitivity, fast response, and good reusability. Importantly, the sensing system enables the detection of 1-HP in real human urine specimens, and a portable 1-HP urine test paper is also developed. Hence, the reported 1-HP sensing platform has promising application potential for clinical diagnosis of the intoxication level of PAHs.