“meso-Dimethylaminonaphthyl-BODIPY Derivatives as Fluorescent Probes for Lysosomes and Lipid Droplets Bioimaging”

Lipid droplets (LDs) and lysosomes are important organelles in cellular metabolism and physiology, playing vital roles in maintaining intracellular homeostasis. LDs not only store and metabolize neutral lipids, but also contribute to energy balance, membrane dynamics, and lipid trafficking within cells. Dysfunctional LDs can lead to metabolic disorders and diseases like obesity, fatty liver diseases, diabetes, and certain cancers. Likewise, lysosomes are acidic organelles that significantly contribute to degrading cellular waste and maintaining cellular health. Irregularities in lysosome function can lead to various diseases, including lysosomal storage disorders, neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases, as well as cancer. Therefore, it is crucial to have reliable imaging tools for exploring these cellular structures.

Fluorescent probes represent a useful tool for studying specific structures or molecules within cells with spatiotemporal precision. These probes enable the visualization of cellular morphology, tracking of molecular processes, and studying biomolecules behaviour in real-time. 3-Difluoroborodipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives have stood out in this field due to their outstanding optical and physical properties, low phototoxicity and photobleaching, strong absorption, high quantum yield, and ease of synthesis. In this context, we report two BODIPY-based fluorescent probes, functionalized with formyl group or benzimidazole heterocyclic moiety at position 2 of the BODIPY core, designed for live cell imaging of lysosomes and lipid droplets. In vitro experiments using confocal microscopy in HeLa cells demonstrated the probe's ability to permeate the cell membrane and selectively label lysosomes and lipid droplets without causing any adverse effects on the cultured cells. These BODIPYs represent a promising tool for intracellular detection of lysosomes and lipid droplets through fluorescence imaging.