In this paper, growth hormone releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6) is a bioactive polypeptide and acts as the reducing agent and capping ligand for synthesis of bright green fluorescent gold nanoclusters (GHRP-6-Au NCs) by a simple and environmental-friendly aqueous method, with the assistance of NaBr as the fluorescent sensitizer. The obtained GHRP-6-Au NCs had high fluorescent quantum yield (10.7%), and the fluorescence was strongly quenched by the existence of trace Fe3+. Thus, a new and highly sensitive sensor for the assay of Fe3+ was constructed based on the analyte-induced fluorescent quenching mechanism. The sensor had a low detection limit of 1.4 mu M (S/N = 3) and a wide linear range of 2-1000 mu M. Besides, GHRP-6-Au NCs exhibited low cytotoxicity and high biocompatibility for cell imaging. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.