Monoalkoxy BODIPYs--a fluorophore class for bioimaging.

Area of Science:

• Chemical Biology
• Organic Chemistry
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Small molecule fluorophores are essential for advanced biomedical imaging.
• Existing fluorophores often face limitations in solubility, stability, or targeting.
• BODIPY dyes are a versatile class of fluorophores with broad applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a new class of BODIPY-based fluorescent dyes, termed MayaFluors.
• To characterize the physicochemical and photophysical properties of MayaFluors.
• To evaluate the suitability of MayaFluors for biological applications, including cell imaging.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of MayaFluors via a one-pot, two-step approach from established BODIPY dyes.
• Characterization of aqueous solubility and in vitro physicochemical properties.
• Assessment of membrane permeability, non-specific binding, and cytotoxicity in living cells.

Main Results:

• Novel alkoxy-fluoro-boron-dipyrromethene core successfully developed.
• MayaFluors demonstrated good aqueous solubility and favorable in vitro properties.
• Biological profiling showed excellent membrane permeability, low non-specific binding, and no cytotoxicity.

Conclusions:

• MayaFluors represent a promising new class of fluorescent dyes for biomedical imaging.
• Their facile synthesis and functionalizability facilitate bioconjugate chemistry and bioorthogonal labeling.
• The favorable biological profile makes MayaFluors suitable for live-cell imaging and other biological applications.