Shortening the early diagnostic window of Hg2+-induced liver injury with a H2O2-activated fluorescence/afterglow imaging assay

Abstract

Mercury ions (Hg²⁺) and mercury derivatives are a serious threat to ecosystems and human health due to their toxicity, and their toxicological effects are associated with a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to the oxidative stress. Endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), a featured ROS in vivo, plays an irreplaceable role in a significant number of pathological processes. However, the exact bioeffect role that H₂O₂ plays in Hg²⁺-induced oxidative stress in a specific disease has not been well answered. In particular, optical imaging probes for H₂O₂ endowed with afterglow emission properties are very rare. Here, the first fluorescence/afterglow probe (FA-H₂O₂) for accurate and specific detection of H₂O₂ in cells, zebrafish, and mice under Hg²⁺-induced oxidative stress is reported. Moreover, FA-H₂O₂ in its afterglow emission enables efficient monitoring of endogenous H₂O₂ with a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in comparison to its fluorescence signals. More importantly, by virtue of the merits of afterglow emission that can eliminate autofluorescence, thus for the first time, shortening the diagnostic window of Hg²⁺-induced liver injury with FA-H₂O₂ via noninvasive afterglow emission tracking of H₂O₂ is achieved, which definitely provides a new opportunity and promising tool for early diagnosis of Hg²⁺-induced liver injury.

Environmental Implication

Mercury ions (Hg²⁺) and mercury derivatives are a serious threat to ecosystems and human health due to their inherent toxicity, whose toxicological effects are associated with a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the exact bioeffect role that endogenous H₂O₂ (a featured ROS) plays in Hg²⁺-induced oxidative stress in a specific disease has not been well answered. Herein, the first fluorescence/afterglow probe (FA-H₂O₂) for the tracking of H₂O₂ is reported. Shortening the diagnostic window of Hg²⁺-induced liver injury with FA-H₂O₂ is achieved, definitely providing a promising tool for early diagnosis of Hg²⁺-induced liver injury.