A sensitive and specific Raman probe based on bisarylbutadiyne for live cell imaging of mitochondria

We previously showed that bisarylbutadiyne (BADY), which has a conjugated diyne structure, exhibits an intense peak in the cellular Raman-silent region. Here, we synthesized a mitochondria-selective Raman probe by linking bisphenylbutadiyne with triphenylphosphonium, a well-known mitochondrial targeting moiety. This probe, named MitoBADY, has a Raman peak 27 times more intense than that of 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine. Raman microscopy using submicromolar extracellular probe concentrations successfully visualized mitochondria in living cells. A full Raman spectrum is acquired at each pixel of the scanned sample, and we showed that simultaneous Raman imaging of MitoBADY and endogenous cellular biomolecules can be achieved in a single scan. MitoBADY should be useful for the study of mitochondrial dynamics.