A Lysosome-Targetable Fluorescence Sensor for Ultrasensitive Detection of Hg2+ in Living Cells and Real Samples

A new lysosome-targetable fluorescence sensor, Lyso-HGP, was designed and synthesized based on 4-methyl-2,6-diformylphenol as a fluorophore. Lyso-HGP displays highly sensitive fluorescent detection of Hg2+ in HEPES buffer solution (10 mM, DMSO 1%) of pH 7.0 at 37 degrees C due to the formation of highly fluorescent formyl-functionalized derivative Lyso-HGP-CHO. The sensor triggered a turn-on fluorescence response to Hg2+ with a simultaneous increase of fluorescence intensity by 180-fold just after 10 mM. The response is very selective over a variety of biologically relevant cations, anions, molecules, and competitive toxic heavy metal cations. The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated as low as 6.82 nM. So, it can be utilized to detect this toxic heavy metal in biology and environmental samples in an aqueous buffer medium. Also, the sensor is able to monitor the subcellular distribution of Hg2+ specifically localized in the lysosome's compartment in the MCF7 human breast cancer cell line by fluorescence microscopy.