A high selective colorimetric fluorescent probe for detection of silver ions in vitro and in vivo and its application on test strips

To detect silver ions conveniently and rapidly in vitro and in vivo, a selective fluorescent probe with a wide measurement range, AgP, was developed. This probe exhibits a bright green fluorescence with an emission wavelength of 532 nm under 390 nm excitation, and its detection of Ag+ is stable in the pH range of 4-10 with a quench-type fluorescence response. Specially, the probe and its easily prepared test strips can be directly used for the colorimetric detection of Ag+ in aqueous samples with simple and convenient characteristics, the color change can be observed within a few seconds. The recovery rate of AgP detection water samples was between 117.6% and 98.3%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was between 0.41% and 2.06%. AgP is also suitable for in vivo imaging of Ag+ in the classical model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, and 50 μM Ag+ can completely quench its fluorescence, which will provide a new detection tool for studying the distribution of Ag+ in the environment and live plants.