A coumarin‐based fluorescent probe for Hg²⁺ and its application in living cells and zebrafish

Abstract

Mercury (Hg) is a heavy metal with high toxicity and easy migration; it can be enriched through the food chain, and cause serious threats to the natural environment and human health. So, the development of a method that can be used to detect mercury ions (Hg2+) in the environment, in cells, and in organisms is very important. Here, a new 7‐hydroxycoumarin‐derived carbonothioate‐based probe (CC‐Hg) was designed and synthesized for detection of Hg2+. After addition of Hg2+, a large fluorescence enhancement was observed due to the formation of 7‐hydroxyl, which reinforced the intramolecular charge transfer process. The CC‐Hg probe had good water solubility and selectivity. Moreover, the probe was able to detect Hg2+ quantitatively over the concentration range 0–2 μM and with a detection limit of 7.9 nM. Importantly, we successfully applied the probe to detect Hg2+ in water samples, in living cells, and in zebrafish. The experimental results demonstrated its potential value in practical applications.

An activatable near-infrared hemicyanine-based probe for selective detection and imaging of Hg2+ in living cells and animals

“…S14 †). On comparing with other probes listed in Table S1, † 6,7,15,42 CyP had good sensitivity to Hg 2+ . What's more, CyP has longer emission wavelengths (710 nm), and hence the probe was capable of imaging both the cells and animals in the subsequent experiments.…”

Umbelliferone and Its Synthetic Derivatives as Suitable Molecules for the Development of Agents with Biological Activities: A Review of Their Pharmacological and Therapeutic Potential

“…Recently, Li et al have reported 7-hydroxycoumarin-based carbonothioate derivative 111 (Figure 43) as a highly sensitive fluorescent probe for mercury ions with many practical applications [203]. The carbonothioate moiety acts as a selective and specific binder for Hg 2+ , and due to the good water solubility of probe 111, it can be used in cells or biological samples.…”

“…Acceptor of FRET in HTS or monitoring of drug metabolites 108 [194] Fluorescent probe H2O2 109 [201] Fluorescent probe Hg 2+ 111 [203] Author Funding: This research received no external funding.…”

Mercury Toxicity and Detection Using Chromo-Fluorogenic Chemosensors

“…In compared to the reversible fluorescent sensors, the reaction-based fluorescent sensors showed better selectivity and specificity due to the structural changes occurred upon chemical reactions with the target analyte. The 7-hydroxycoumarin-derived carbonothioate-based sensor 66 (Figure 23) was designed and synthesized by Xiwei et al [94] for the detection of Hg 2+ at the maximum emission wavelength 455 nm in water medium. Upon interaction with Hg 2+ , sensor 66 showed a large fluorescence enhancement because of the strengthening of the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) due to the Hg 2+ directed hydrolysis of 66 to form HgS and phenol.…”