A facile approach for sensitive, reversible and ratiometric detection of biothiols based on thymine-mediated excimer-monomer transformation.

A ratiometric fluorescent sensor was developed for detecting biothiols in water and biological samples such as urine and serum. For this sensor, the monomer-excimer emission variations were regulated by aggregation and deaggregation via the complexation between pyrene-thymine and mercury ions modulated by biothiols.