Molecular oxygen-sensitive fluorescent lipobeads for intracellular oxygen measurements in murine macrophages

Intracellular oxygen concentration is of primary importance in determining numerous physiological and pathological processes in biological systems. This paper describes the development and application of micrometer-sized oxygen-sensitive fluorescence lipobeads for intracellular measurements of molecular oxygen in J774 murine macrophages. A ruthenium diimine complex [Ru(bpy-pyr)(bpy)2]C12 (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, bpy-pyr = 4-(1"-pyrenyl)-2,2'-bipyridine) is used as the oxygen indicator. The indicator exhibits high chemical and photostability and high sensitivity to oxygen. The indicator molecules are immobilized in a phospholipid membrane that coats polystyrene microparticles. The fluorescence of the lipobeads is effectively quenched by molecular oxygen. The fluorescence intensity of the oxygen-sensitive lipobeads is 3 times higher in a nitrogenated solution than in an oxygenated solution. The lipobeads are internalized by murine macrophages through phagocytosis. They maintain their spectral properties for 24 h in living cells when the cells are stored in phosphate-buffered saline at pH 7.4. The photostability, reversibility, and effect of hypoxia, hyperoxia, and oxidative stress on the intracellular level of oxygen in J774 murine macrophages are described.