Visualizations of Mercury Methylation and Dynamic Transformations by In Vivo Imaging

The visualization of mercury methylation and dynamic transformations of Hg(II) and MeHg are achieved in living biological systems by imaging. With a double ‐response fluorescent probe (DPAHB), well distinguishable responses (blue emission for Hg(II), yellow emission for MeHg without any interference) are observed, which innovatively accomplish simultaneous sensing of both species for in vivo examination. AbstractVisualization of Hg(II) and MeHg in their native contexts is significant for examining mercury poisoning, while it is challenging because of indistinguishable fluorescent (FL) signals during FL imaging. Herein, visualizations of mercury methylation and dynamic transformations of Hg(II) and MeHg are achieved in living biological systems. Well distinguishable FL responses (blue emission for Hg(II), yellow emission for MeHg) are obtained by a double ‐response FL probe (DPAHB) without any interference. As demonstrated by experimental and computational studies, the distinguishable signals are attributed to selective binding with DPAHB and different inhibition of excited‐state proton transfer. Through control tests for live‐dead markers, mer cury methylation is demonstrated to be employed in living biological systems. Therefore, the methylation and dynamic transformations of both ions are monitored in zebrafish by imaging, and these results are confirmed by traditional high‐performance liquid chromatography‐based methods. The methyl ation of Hg(II) to MeHg, dyna...
Source: Small - Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Tags: Full Paper Source Type: research