A specific amino-based fluorescent probe for mercury ion detection in water samples, cells, and zebrafish

Abstract

Mercury ions (Hg²⁺) cause great harm to the environment and living organisms owing to their strong migration and transformation ability. Therefore, the detection of Hg²⁺ in the environment and living systems becomes significant. In this study, we constructed a novel amino coordination type-specific Hg²⁺ fluorescent probe TD-Hg. The probe provides diaminomaleonitrile as the coordination group for Hg²⁺ and could respond to Hg²⁺ in a very short time (< 5 s). Moreover, probe TD-Hg can detect Hg²⁺ in environmental water samples with a high sensitivity, which proves that the probe has good environmental application potential. In addition, the probe possesses good biocompatibility verified by the experiments on cytotoxicity, behavioral toxicology, hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, the toxicity of the blood vessels, and immunotoxicity using cultured cell model or zebrafish larvae. Note that the probe can monitor the Hg²⁺ content in cultured cells and zebrafish larvae, which makes it possess a high ability for biological application in monitoring Hg²⁺. In conclusion, the construction of probe TD-Hg provides an effective tool for the specific detection of Hg²⁺.