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Dithiolane linked thiorhodamine dimer for Hg2+ recognition in living cells
Weimin Liu1, Liwei Xu, Hongyan Zhang
1Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Molecular Engineering, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry
|February 6, 2009
Summary
A new thiorhodamine-based chemodosimeter A was developed for sensitive and selective detection of mercury ions (Hg2+). This probe allows for real-time imaging of Hg2+ in living cells, reaching detectable levels within safe human limits.
Area of Science:
- Chemical sensing
- Molecular probes
- Mercury detection
Background:
- Mercury ions (Hg2+) pose significant environmental and health risks.
- Developing selective and sensitive probes for Hg2+ is crucial for monitoring and remediation.
- Thiorhodamine derivatives offer potential for fluorescent sensing applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize a novel thiorhodamine-based chemodosimeter (chemodosimeter A) for Hg2+ recognition.
- To evaluate the sensitivity, selectivity, and real-time response of chemodosimeter A for Hg2+.
- To investigate the application of chemodosimeter A for in vitro imaging of Hg2+ in living cells.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of a disulfide-linked thiorhodamine dimer (chemodosimeter A).
- Spectroscopic analysis (UV-Vis, fluorescence) to assess probe response to Hg2+ and other cations.
- Mechanistic studies involving Hg2+-induced desulfurization and ring-opening.
- In vitro cell imaging experiments using chemodosimeter A for intracellular Hg2+ detection.
Main Results:
- Chemodosimeter A demonstrated high sensitivity and selectivity for Hg2+ over other tested cations.
- The probe exhibited real-time fluorescence response upon Hg2+ binding.
- The mechanism involves Hg2+-induced desulfurization and conversion to an open-ring rhodamine.
- Successful in vitro imaging of Hg2+ in living cells was achieved at concentrations within the human safety limit.
Conclusions:
- Thiorhodamine-based chemodosimeter A is a highly effective tool for sensitive and selective Hg2+ detection.
- The probe's real-time imaging capability in living cells is promising for biological and environmental monitoring.
- The developed chemodosimeter operates at safe concentration levels for potential human exposure.
