Gentle Rhodamines for Live-Cell Fluorescence Microscopy.

ABSTRACT: Rhodamines have been continuously optimized in brightness, biocompatibility, and color to fulfill the demands of modern bioimaging. However, the problem of phototoxicity caused by the excited fluorophore under long-term illumination has been largely neglected, hampering their use in time-lapse imaging. Here we introduce cyclooctatetraene (COT) conjugated rhodamines that span the visible spectrum and exhibit significantly reduced phototoxicity. We identified a general strategy for the generation of Gentle Rhodamines, which preserved their outstanding spectroscopic properties and cell permeability while showing an efficient reduction of singlet-oxygen formation and diminished cellular photodamage. Paradoxically, their photobleaching kinetics do not go hand in hand with reduced phototoxicity.

SUBMITTER: Liu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11503488 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature