Fluorescent Detection of Methyl Mercury in Aqueous Solution and Live Cells Using Fluorescent Probe and Micelle Systems.

It is highly challenging to develop fast and sensitive fluorescent methods for monitoring organic mercury in purely aqueous solutions as well as live cells. Especially, selective fluorescent detection of methylmercury over inorganic mercury ions has not been reported. We developed a fast and sensitive fluorescent detection method for Hg ions as well as methylmercury using an amino acid-based fluorescent probe () and SDS micelles. The fluorescent probe in SDS micelles detected sensitively and selectively Hg ions and methylmercury among 16 metal ions in purely aqueous solution by the enhancement of the red emission at 575 nm, and the detection of methylmercury was completed within 1 min. The probe in SDS micelles with EDTA showed highly sensitive and selective turn on detection for methylmercury over Hg. The limit of detection was 9.1 nM for Hg (1.8 ppb, = 0.989) and 206 nM for CHHg ( = 0.997). rapidly penetrated live cells and detected intracellular Hg ions as well as CHHg by the enhancement of both red emissions and green emissions. Subsequent treatment of EDTA into the cell confirmed the selective detection of methylmercury in the cells. The present work indicated that the fluorescent probe with micelle systems provided a fast, sensitive, and selective detection method for monitoring inorganic mercury as well as methyl mercury.