Engineering a far-red fluorescent probe for rapid detection of Hg(II) ions in both cells and zebrafish.

Abnormal accumulation of mercury ions (Hg ²⁺ ) in organisms can lead to severe central nervous system and other diseases. Therefore, the monitoring and detection of Hg ²⁺ are of great significance for human health and environmental safety. Herein, we designed and synthesized a novel far-red to NIR emission fluorescent probe (Rho-Hg) based on rhodamine derivative as the fluorophore and thiospirolactone as the recognition site for turn-on detecting of Hg ²⁺ in living cells and zebrafish. The probe Rho-Hg displayed superior sensitivity (detection limit = 17.5 nM), rapid response (<1 min), colorimetric change, high selectivity, and moderate pH stability. Leveraging this probe, we realized the real-time monitoring of Hg ²⁺ in real samples, living cells and zebrafish. By fostering zebrafish embryos and larvae in Hg ²⁺ -containing nutrient solution, we noticed that Hg ²⁺ was ingested into the zebrafish liver when zebrafish were grown up to 3 days old, and thus we successfully monitored the accumulation and changes of Hg ²⁺ during zebrafish growth and development. Thus, the probe Rho-Hg could be a powerful tool for sensitive and real-time monitoring of Hg ²⁺ in living systems.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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