title: Ratiometric phosphorescence imaging of Hg(II) in living cells based on a neutral iridium(III) complex.
abstract: In this work, a neutral iridium(III) complex [Ir(bt)(2)(acac)] (Hbt = 2-phenylbenzothiazole; Hacac = acetylacetone) has been realized as a Hg(II)-selective sensor through UV-vis absorption, phosphorescence emission, and electrochemical measurements and was further developed as a phosphorescent agent for monitoring intracellular Hg(II). Upon addition of Hg(II) to a solution of [Ir(bt)(2)(acac)], a noticeable spectral blue shift in both absorption and phosphorescent emission bands was measured. (1)H NMR spectroscopic titration experiments indicated that coordination of Hg(II) to the complex induces fast decomposition of [Ir(bt)(2)(acac)] to form a new complex, which is responsible for the significant variations in optical and electrochemical signals. Importantly, cell imaging experiments have shown that [Ir(bt)(2)(acac)] is membrane permeable and can be used to monitor the changes in Hg(II) levels within cells in a ratiometric phosphorescence mode.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, PR China.
authors.forename: Yongquan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.forename: Zesheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Huazhou
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Fuyou
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007495:Iridium / Q000737:chemistry*; D049408:Luminescent Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D017669:Mercury Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
chemical_list: D049408:Luminescent Agents; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D017669:Mercury Compounds; D007495:Iridium