Coptisine acts as a nucleolus fluorescent probe in vitro

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Cell Biology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Coptisine (COP) is a natural isoquinoline alkaloid from Coptis chinensis.
• COP exhibits diverse pharmacological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of Coptisine (COP) as a fluorescent probe for cellular imaging.
• To evaluate COP's localization within cells and its correlation with tumor malignancy.

Main Methods:

• COP was applied to living tumor cell lines, primary MEF cells, and fixed cells.
• Fluorescence microscopy was used to detect COP's signal at 488 nm.
• Colocalization studies were performed with nucleolar markers fibrillarin and B23.

Main Results:

• COP successfully penetrated and produced fluorescent signals in various cell types.
• The fluorescence signal of COP was primarily localized in the nucleoli.
• COP fluorescence intensity inversely correlated with tumor malignancy; lower intensity indicated higher malignancy.

Conclusions:

• Coptisine (COP) demonstrates utility as a fluorescent probe for nucleoli.
• COP shows promise as a candidate probe for differentiating tumor cell malignancy based on fluorescence intensity.