Electrochemiluminescence Bioassays with a Water-Soluble Luminol Derivative Can Outperform Fluorescence Assays

The most efficient and commonly used electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitters are luminol, [Ru(bpy)₃ ]²⁺ , and derivatives thereof. Luminol stands out due to its low excitation potential, but applications are limited by its insolubility under physiological conditions. The water-soluble m-carboxy luminol was synthesized in 15 % yield and exhibited high solubility under physiological conditions and afforded a four-fold ECL signal increase (vs. luminol). Entrapment in DNA-tagged liposomes enabled a DNA assay with a detection limit of 3.2 pmol L^-1 , which is 150 times lower than the corresponding fluorescence approach. This remarkable sensitivity gain and the low excitation potential establish m-carboxy luminol as a superior ECL probe with direct relevance to chemiluminescence and enzymatic bioanalytical approaches.