Dual-Color Photoconvertible Fluorescent Probes Based on Directed Photooxidation Induced Conversion for Bioimaging

We herein present a new concept to produce dual-color photoconvertible probes based on a mechanism called Directed Photooxidation Induced Conversion (DPIC). As a support of this mechanism, styryl-coumarins (SCs) bearing Aromatic Singlet Oxygen Reactive Moieties (ASORMs) like furan and pyrrole have been synthesized. SCs are bright fluorophores, which undergo a hypsochromic conversion upon visible light irradiation due to directed photooxidation of the ASORM that leads to the disruption of conjugation. SC-P, a yellow emitting probe bearing a pyrrole moiety, converts to a stable blue emitting coumarin with a 68 nm shift allowing the photoconversion and tracking of lipid droplet in live cells. This new approach might pave the way to a new generation of photoconvertible dyes for advanced bioimaging applications.