BODIPY-derived fluorescent probes for targeting and tracking lipid droplets dynamics

Abstract

Lipid droplets (LDs) are ubiquitous intracellular organelles present in various cell types, ranging from adipocytes to cancer cells. Despite their involvement in numerous diseases, current methodologies for monitoring LD dynamics rely primarily on static imaging with a limited selection of fluorescent dyes. In this study, we introduce two novel BODIPY-derived fluorophores designed to facilitate real-time monitoring of LD dynamics. By incorporating triphenylamino (TPA) moieties into the BODIPY core both asymmetrically and symmetrically, we modulated the fluorescence response to the green (GFP) and deep-red (Cy5) confocal channels, respectively, thus allowing dual-channel fluorescence capability for high-resolution, dynamic imaging of LDs within live cells, providing new insights into their behavior.