Citation: Yaheng Li, Weijiang He, Yuncong Chen, Zijian Guo. A BODIPY-based ratiometric fluorescent probe for imaging of Zn²⁺ in ferroptosis[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(5): 111337. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111337 shu

A BODIPY-based ratiometric fluorescent probe for imaging of Zn²⁺ in ferroptosis

Yaheng Li ^a ,
Weijiang He ^{a, c} ,
Yuncong Chen ^{a, b, c, *,} ,
Zijian Guo ^{a, c, *,}

a.
State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), ChemBioMed Interdisciplinary Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
b.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China
c.
Nanchuang (Jiangsu) Institute of Chemistry and Health, Nanjing 210000, China

chenyc@nju.edu.cn

zguo@nju.edu.cn

Received Date: 23 January 2025
Revised Date: 14 May 2025
Accepted Date: 16 May 2025
Available Online: 16 May 2025

Figures(5)

Ferroptosis is a cell death pathway that plays a crucial role in numerous biological processes. Although closely related to ferrous ion, the execution of ferroptosis was found to be impacted by zinc ion (Zn²⁺) in recent years. However, most of the related researches focused on the effects of exogenously added Zn²⁺, while the fundamental understanding of endogenous Zn²⁺ during ferroptosis still needs further exploration. Herein, a ratiometric fluorescent probe based on pyridine-substituted boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorophore (BDP-p) was designed to track the endogenous Zn²⁺ in cells during ferroptosis process. Zn²⁺ coordination induced an enhancement on the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), leading to an obvious red shift from 563 nm to 594 nm. In A549 cells, we found fluorescence ratio of the probe elevated in some discrete regions during erastin induced ferroptosis, and this change followed the same trend as the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. The results suggested that the Zn²⁺ would be localized in some discrete areas in A549 cells during ferroptosis. This work not only provided a reliable design strategy for developing ratiometric probes of Zn²⁺, but also supplemented the current understanding of the non-negligible role of Zn²⁺ in ferroptosis.
- Zn²⁺,
- Ferroptosis,
- Fluorescence imaging,
- BODIPY,
- Ratiometric probe
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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

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沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142

A BODIPY-based ratiometric fluorescent probe for imaging of Zn2+ in ferroptosis

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通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com

A BODIPY-based ratiometric fluorescent probe for imaging of Zn²⁺ in ferroptosis