Water-soluble BODIPY-based fluorescent probe for mitochondrial imaging (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

A new mitochondrial targeting fluorescent probe is designed, synthesized, characterized, and investigated. The probe is composed of three moieties, a BODIPY platform working as the fluorophore, two triphenylphosphonium (TPP) groups serving as mitochondrial targeting moiety, and two long highly hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains to increase its water solubility and reduce its cytotoxicity. As a mitochondria-selective fluorescent probe, the probe exhibits a series of desirable advantages compared with other reported fluorescent mitochondrial probes. It is readily soluble in aqueous media and emits very strong fluorescence. Photophysical determination experiments show that the photophysical properties of the probe are independent of solvent polarity and it has high quantum yield in various solvents examined. The probe also has good photostability and pH insensitivity over a broad pH range. Results obtained from cell viability tests indicate that the cytotoxicity of the probe is very low. Confocal fluorescence microscopy colocalization experiments reveal that this probe possesses excellent mitochondrial targeting ability and it is suitable for imaging mitochondria in living cells.