A highly selective fluorescent probe for in vitro and in vivo detection of Hg2+

In this paper, a simple fluorescent probe, rhodamine B derivatives (RS), was designed and prepared for sensitive detection of Hg2+ in CH3CN/H2O (5/5, v/v). RS exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity toward Hg2+ over other common metal ions, displaying a significant color change from colorless to pink in the presence of Hg2+. The fluorescence responses remain stable over a broad pH range (5.0 to 9.0) and are suitable for detection under physiological conditions. Experimental results of HeLa cells and zebrafish show that RS is cell and organism permeable. We also demonstrate the acquisition of images of Hg2+ in HeLa cells and zebrafish by using a simple fluorescence confocal imaging technique.