Metal-organic frameworks-assisted electrochemical sensing toward magnesium in medicinal and edible homologous for pharmacological evaluation.

Given the importance of Magnesium (Mg) assay for efficacy evaluation of medicinal and edible homologous (MEH), an electrochemical sensor is designed by exploiting the cooperative properties of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). To be specific, the constructed bimetallic MOFs ((FeZr)MOF) are designed by using Zr(IV) and Fe(III) clusters as metal sources, which provide a large platform for AuNPs attachment to design signal probes. Benefitting from the catalytic properties of (FeZr)MOF toward hydroxylamine, electrochemical signal is attained for Mg²⁺ analysis with the detection limit to be 3 μM (corresponding to 0.072 μg g⁻¹). Relying on DNAzymes as recognition elements, good anti-jamming is achieved for Mg²⁺ analysis against the coexisting ions in Puerarin, Chinese wolfberry, hawthorn and dangshen. With the superiority of rapid response, acceptable sensitivity and specificity, the electrochemical sensor provides a useful pattern for assessing the pharmacological effects of MEH substances, pointing to reasonable selection and combination of multiple health function dietary therapy formulas.