A novel near‐infrared fluorescence probe for detecting and imaging Hg2+ in living cells

Fluorescence imaging, as one of the important means of biological lesion analysis, is widely used in medical analysis. To improve detection specificity, near-infrared emission fluorescent probes have been developed. Sensitive and selective near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes for Hg2+ , which is a heavy metal ion harmful to human health, are urgently needed to investigate the physiological toxicity of Hg2+ . The NIR fluorophore based on the traditional structure of rhodamine was prepared by introducing anthocyanin functional groups, and a rhodamine spiro ring structure was constructed to recognize Hg2+ (CCS-Hg). The probe CCS-Hg demonstrated good selectivity and high detection sensitivity for Hg2+ and the most likely mechanism was verified through theoretical calculations. We applied the probe CCS-Hg in the examination of Hg2+ distribution in living cells by NIR fluorescence imaging. This work provides a promising molecular tool for studying the toxicological effects of mercury ions in cell.