A water-soluble 1,8-naphthalimide-based 'turn on' fluorescent chemosensor for selective and sensitive recognition of mercury ion in water

A water-soluble 1,8-naphthalimide-based fluorescent chemosensor 1, bearing two acetic carboxylic moieties, exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity for recognition of Hg(2+) ion in water over other heavy and transition metal (HTM) ions with fluorescent enhancement. An increase in the fluorescent intensity at 562 nm was due to the formation of a 1:1 1-Hg(2+) inclusion complex.     

苔藓植物对贵州丹寨汞矿区汞污染的生态监测

采用野外生态学系统取样方法和室内理化分析方法相结合,分别从苔藓植物地球化学特征、物种丰富度、群落类型、群落的结构等生物学特征上,探讨苔藓植物对丹寨汞矿区汞污染的生态监测。丹寨汞矿区苔藓植物共20个科,34属85种;真藓科和丛藓科占优势。在汞污染程度不同的4种生境梯度中,汞含量均超出国家土壤环境质量三级土标准的10倍以上。各研究生境梯度真藓(Bryum argenteum),丛生真藓(Bryum caespiticium)和狭叶小羽藓(Haplocladium angustifolium)体内的汞含量与其生境基质(土壤)的汞含量在P＜0.01水平上呈显著的正相关;且信度系数R均大于0.9,表明被测苔藓植物在地球化学特征上具有监测环境汞污染的生态功能。物种丰富度特征方面,汞污染严重区域物种丰富度较低;而污染程度相对较轻区域物种丰富度则较大;表明了该区苔藓植物丰富度总体上可以作为环境中汞污染的监测指标之一。群落学特征方面,群落类型丰富度在汞污染较重的区域丰富度较低;而苔藓植物群落结构方面,在汞污染较重区域过渡到汞污染相对较轻区域,纯群落数在逐渐减少,但3种及3种以上组成的群落数却有所增加。表现了苔藓群落结构组成越简单则该区汞污染较严重,苔藓植物结构组成越复杂则该区的汞污染程度相对较轻。这说明了苔藓植物群落特征也较适合作为汞矿区生态监测的指标。在汞污染区过渡到相对清洁区的污染过渡带,苔藓物种多样性和群落类型趋于多样化,产生了较明显群落边缘效应。     

Mangiferin: A xanthone attenuates mercury chloride induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in HepG2 cells

Mangiferin (MGN), a dietary C-glucosylxanthone present in Mangifera indica, is known to possess a spectrum of beneficial pharmacological properties. This study demonstrates antigenotoxic potential of MGN against mercuric chloride (HgCl2)-induced genotoxicity in HepG2 cell line. Treatment of HepG2 cells with various concentrations of HgCl2 for 3 h caused a dose-dependent increase in micronuclei frequency and elevation in DNA strand breaks (olive tail moment and tail DNA). Pretreatment with MGN significantly (p < 0.01) inhibited HgCl2 -induced (20 μM for 30 h) DNA damage. An optimal antigenotoxic effect of MGN, both in micronuclei and comet assay, was observed at a concentration of 50 μM. Furthermore, HepG2 cells treated with various concentrations of HgCl2 resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the dichlorofluorescein fluorescence, indicating an increase in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, MGN by itself failed to generate ROS at a concentration of 50 μM, whereas it could significantly decrease HgCl2 -induced ROS. Our study clearly demonstrates that MGN pretreatment reduced the HgCl2-induced DNA damage in HepG2 cells, thus demonstrating the genoprotective potential of MGN, which is mediated mainly by the inhibition of oxidative stress.     

Time-course development of the Cd<Superscript>2+</Superscript> hyper-accumulating phenotype in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Euglena gracilis</Emphasis>

To determine the onset of the Cd²⁺-hyperaccumulating phenotype in Euglena gracilis, induced by Hg²⁺ pretreatment (Avilés et al. in Arch Microbiol 180:1–10, 2003), the changes in cellular growth, Cd²⁺ uptake, and intracellular contents of sulfide, cysteine, γ-glutamylcysteine, glutathione and phytochelatins during the progress of the culture were analyzed. In cells exposed to 0.2 mM CdCl₂, the Cd²⁺-hyperaccumulating phenotype was apparent only after 48 h of culture, as indicated by the significant increase in cell growth and higher internal contents of sulfide and thiol-compounds, along with a higher γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase activity. However, the stiochiometry of thiol-compounds/Cd²⁺ accumulated was similar for both control and Hg²⁺-pretreated cells. Moreover, the value for this ratio was 2.1 or lower after 48-h culture, which does not suffice to fully inactivate Cd²⁺. It is concluded that, although the glutathione and phytochelatin synthesis pathway is involved in the development of the Cd²⁺-hyperaccumulating phenotype in E. gracilis, apparently other pathways and sub-cellular mechanisms are also involved. These may be an increase in other Cd²⁺ chelating molecules such as di- and tricarboxylic acids, phosphate and polyphosphates, as well as Cd²⁺ compartmentation into organelles. César Avilés: In memoriam.     

Molecular and polymeric Hg(II) complexes with a PTA (1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane) complex of the [Re6(μ3-Se)8] core-containing cluster as ligand

Two Hg(II) complexes with the cluster-complex ligand [Re₆(μ₃-Se)₈(PEt₃)₅(PTA)](SbF₆)₂ (PTA = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane), {[Re₆(μ₃-Se)₈(PEt₃)₅(PTA)(Hg₃I₇)](SbF₆)}_n·(CH₃CN)_n (1) and {[Re₆(μ₃-Se)₈(PEt₃)₅(PTA)]₂(Hg₄I₉)}(SbF₆)₃·2CH₃CN (2), were prepared and structurally characterized. The two compounds were obtained from reactions conducted at different temperatures under otherwise identical conditions. Recrystallization of the room-temperature product 2 in a different solvent mixture produced yet another new Hg(II) complex, {[Re₆(μ₃-Se)₈(PEt₃)₅(PTA)](Hg₃I₈)}·CH₃CN (3) which may be considered as a consequence of the dissociation of the kinetic product 2 in solution and the re-assembly of necessary components to generate the new compound upon crystallization. The solid-state structure of 1 contains polymeric cluster columns, in which the PTA ligand adopts a hitherto unknown coordination mode with simultaneous coordination of all four (one P and three N atoms) potentially coordinating atoms.     

Characterization of a mercury-reducing Bacillus cereus strain isolated from the Pulicat Lake sediments, south east coast of India

Pulicat Lake sediments are often severely polluted with the toxic heavy metal mercury. Several mercury-resistant strains of Bacillus species were isolated from the sediments and all the isolates exhibited broad spectrum resistance (resistance to both organic and inorganic mercuric compounds). Plasmid curing assay showed that all the isolated Bacillus strains carry chromosomally borne mercury resistance. Polymerase chain reaction and southern hybridization analyses using merA and merB3 gene primers/probes showed that five of the isolated Bacillus strains carry sequences similar to known merA and merB3 genes. Results of multiple sequence alignment revealed 99% similarity with merA and merB3 of TnMERI1 (class II transposons). Other mercury resistant Bacillus species lacking homology to these genes were not able to volatilize mercuric chloride, indicating the presence of other modes of resistance to mercuric compounds.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of mercury(II) complexes with a novel ferrocenyliminophosphine

Synthesis of the novel ligand ferrocenyliminophosphine [(η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe{(η⁵-C₅H₄)CHN(C₆H₄-2-PPh₂)}] (1, L) and studies on its complexation properties with mercury (II) are reported. Halogen-bridged binuclear mercury (II) complexes [HgX(μ-X)L]₂ (X = Cl (2a), Br (2b)) and a mononuclear mercury (II) complex HgCl₂L₂ (4a) have been obtained under different reaction conditions. In both cases, the ferrocenyliminophosphine acts as a P-monodentate ligand and the imino nitrogen does not participate in coordination to mercury (II). All the new compounds 1, 2a, 2b and 4a were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR and IR spectra. In addition, structures of 2a and 4a have been determined by X-ray single-crystal analysis.     

Construction of two <Emphasis Type="Italic">lux</Emphasis>-tagged Hg<Superscript>2+</Superscript>-specific biosensors and their luminescence performance

Two Hg2+-specific biosensors were constructed using bacterial luciferase as reporter gene and plasmid-free Pseudomonas putida X4 and Enterobacter aerogenes NTG-01 as host strains. The performance of X4 biosensor was compared with that of NTG-01 biosensor in the same assay conditions. The maximum bioluminescence for X4 (pmerRluxCDABE-Kan) biosensor was found during the midexponential phase and that for NTG-01 (pmerRluxCDABE-Kan) was at the late exponential phase. The shortest induction time of two biosensors was 30 min. The maximum light signal output for NTG-01 and X4 sensors was observed at the incubation time of 5 and 4 h, respectively. The lowest detectable concentration of mercury by the two biosensors were both of 100 pM at 28 degrees C, pH 7 and an initial cell number of 10(6) CFU ml(-1). Cd2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Cu2+, and Pb2 + ions at nanomolar level did not interfere with the measurement by the biosensors. These results show that the sensitivity of the two biosensors is sufficient for the detection of Hg2+ under most contaminated environments.     

Biosorption of lead, cadmium and mercury by immobilized Microcystis aeruginosa in a column

Immobilized Microcystis aeruginosa in a flow-through sorption column was evaluated for the potential to remove Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Hg²⁺ from aqueous solutions. M. aeruginosa showed high affinity for the three heavy metals with removal efficiency of 90% for Cd²⁺ and Hg²⁺, and 80% for Pb²⁺ at saturation conditions. Competitive sorption experiments conducted in paired and ternary systems indicated that Pb²⁺ was sequestered preferentially over Cd²⁺ and Hg²⁺. The presence of Cd²⁺ interfered only slightly with the uptake of Hg²⁺, as Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ did with Cd²⁺. In contrast, Hg²⁺ sorption was affected by Pb²⁺ to a great extent. Desorption with 1 M HCl was completed within 25 min with high efficiency and effectiveness for the three metals. The results of this study indicate that M. aeruginosa is to be a potential biosorbent material except when Hg²⁺ and Pb²⁺ are in the same contaminated solution.     

Synthesis, photophysical characterisation and metal ion binding properties of new ligands containing anthracene chromophores

Two new fluorescent chemosensors for heavy metal ions have been synthesised and their photophysical properties have been investigated. They present a pyridyl-thioether-based binding site and the anthracene moiety as a chromophore. In the experimental conditions used, no evidence is found for the formation of complexes with Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Ag⁺ ions. On the contrary, in acetonitrile solutions both ligands strongly bind Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ cations according to a 1:1 and a 1:2 (metal:ligand) stoichiometry. In these complexes, the intense luminescence typical of anthracene derivatives is almost completely quenched and this phenomenon can be mainly attributed to an intraligand electron transfer process from the anthracene chromophore to the complexed pyridine. These results are of interest for the development of new chemosensors for the design of efficient electronic tongues for the detection of transition metal ions.