A highly selective fluorescent probe for in vitro and in vivo detection of Hg2+

Abstract

In this paper, a simple fluorescent probe, rhodamine B derivatives (RS), was designed and prepared for sensitive detection of Hg²⁺ in CH₃CN/H₂O (5/5, v/v). RS exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity toward Hg²⁺ over other common metal ions, displaying a significant color change from colorless to pink in the presence of Hg²⁺. The fluorescence responses remain stable over a broad pH range (5.0 to 9.0) and are suitable for detection under physiological conditions. Experimental results of HeLa cells and zebrafish show that RS is cell and organism permeable. We also demonstrate the acquisition of images of Hg²⁺ in HeLa cells and zebrafish by using a simple fluorescence confocal imaging technique.