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

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+.