A fluorescence strategy for monitoring α-glucosidase activity and screening its inhibitors from Chinese herbal medicines based on Cu nanoclusters with aggregation-induced emission

Herein, the self-assembly of 1-dodecanethiol-capped Cu nanoclusters (DT-Cu NCs) is obtained by annealing of dibenzyl ether solution of nanoclusters. These aggregates are composed of small clusters and emit a high level of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) in water. Based on the quenching effect of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) on DT-Cu NCs, a fluorescence strategy is developed to monitor α-glucosidase (α-Glu) activity and screen its inhibitors from Chinese herbal medicines. 4-Nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (NGP) is selected as the substrate, which is further hydrolyzed to yield 4-NP through the catalysis of α-Glu. The quenching efficiency is positively correlated to the concentration of α-Glu. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of the extracts from four Chinese herbal medicines (i.e., the rind of Punica granatum L., Momordica grosvenorii Swingle., Crataegus pinnatifida Bge., and Lycium barbarum L.) on the α-Glu activity have been studied. The IC 50 values of extracts from the rind of Punica granatum L. and Momordica grosvenorii Swingle are 0.23 and 0.37 g/L, respectively, so they show obvious inhibitory effects on α-Glu. The extracts of Crataegus pinnatifida Bge. and Lycium barbarum L. exhibit relatively weak inhibitory effects. Hence, the proposed strategy can be applicable for screening α-Glu inhibitors from Chinese herbal medicines. Last but not the least, by immobilizing DT-Cu NCs into agarose hydrogels in polyethylene tubes, a visual device is fabricated to screen α-Glu inhibitors with high throughput and sensitivity. Graphical abstract