Cell internalization of BODIPY-based fluorescent dyes bearing carbohydrate residues

•New distyryl BODIPY derivatives have been prepared and well characterized.•The new BODIPY dyes emit in the red region with high quantum yield.•Their cell internalization was demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy.•The sugar moieties seem influence cell uptake pathway.

Red-absorbing BODIPY species have been prepared and their photophysical properties have been studied. The high fluorescence quantum yield of such compounds allowed us to study their cell internalization by fluorescence microscopy, using concentration as low as nM. The results indicate that the new species are internalized within VERO cells and that the clathrin-dependent mechanism plays a crucial role in the cell internalization of the dyes.

Graphical abstractNew red-absorbing and emitting carbohydrate-containing BODIPY species are internalized within VERO cells, exhibiting negligible cytotoxicity. The clathrin-dependent mechanism plays a crucial role in the cell internalization of the BODIPY dyes.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide