The optical and biological properties of functionalized gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been widely used in sensing applications. GNPs have a strong binding ability to thiol groups. Furthermore, thiols are used to bind functional molecules, which can then be used, for example, to detect metal ions in solution. Herein, we describe 13 nm GNPs functionalized by glutathione (GSH) and conjugated with a rhodamine 6G derivative (Rh6G2), which can be used to detect Hg(II) in cells. The detection of Hg2+ ions is based on an ion-catalyzed hydrolysis of the spirolactam ring of Rh6G2, leading to a significant change in the fluorescence of GNPs-GSH-Rh6G2 from an “OFF” to an “ON” state. This strategy is an effective tool to detect Hg2+ ions. In cytotoxicity experiments, GNPs-GSH-Rh6G2 could penetrate living cells and detect mercury ions through the fluorescent “ON” form.
The optical and biological properties of the tunable functionalized gold nanoparticles (GNPs) tuned have been widely used in the sensing applications. GNPs have a strong binding ability to sulfhydryl groups of thiols. Furthermore, thiols is used as mediators to modify functional molecules to adjust their performance, which can be used to detect metal ions in solution. Herein, we demonstrated the 13 nm GNPs were functionalized by glutathione (GSH) and conjugated by rhodamine 6G derivatives (Rh6G2) which can be used to detect of Hg(II) in cells. The detection of Hg2+ is based on the ion-catalyzed hydrolysis reactions of the spiroamide ring of Rh6G2, leading to a significant change in the fluorescence of GNPs-GSH-Rh6G2 from “OFF” to “ON” due to the triggered release. The designed strategy is an effective tool to detect Hg2+. In cytotoxicity experiments, GNPs-GSH-Rh6G2 can penetrate living cells and recognize mercury ions through the fluorescent "ON" form.
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