A Highly Selective Turn-On Fluorescence Sensor for Detecting Hg2+ Based on Flavonol and its Applications in Fluorescence Imaging

Abstract

Hg2+ has harmful toxicity to both ecosystems and biological systems, so accurate monitoring of Hg2+ is essential. Herein, a novel turn-on fluorescence sensor (HTZ) cooperating flavonol with thiocarbonate group was prepared. It exhibited a wider liner range (0-1 μM) and an ultra-low detection limit (8.123 nM) in fluorescence measurement of Hg2+ with high selectivity and excellent anti-interference property. The corresponding recognition mechanism was investigated and verified by mass spectrometry. Moreover, this proposed probe held the ability of visualizing Hg2+ in living cells and zebrafish with good biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity. It also exhibited its high accuracy in detecting Hg2+ in real water sample. All the results prove that the probe is a promising tool that can be used to detect Hg2+ in complex biological systems and real water samples.

Keywords: Flavonol, Hg2+, Turn-on fluorescence probe, Fluorescence imaging