Issue 25, 2025

A BODIPY-tagged trivalent glycocluster for receptor-targeting fluorescence imaging of live cells

Abstract

Multivalent glycoclusters have been extensively used as a targeting agent for drug delivery. However, tools capable of investigating their dynamic interactions with a target receptor remain elusive. Here, we synthesized fluorescently-tagged galactoclusters for the fluorescence imaging of cells that overly express the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPr). A trivalent galactoside was synthesized, to which a boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dye was conjugated. The resulting fluorescent glycocluster was used for the targeted fluorescence imaging of liver cancer cells with a high ASGPr expression level. The trivalent probe was also demonstrated to be applicable for super-resolution imaging of ASGPr-mediated ligand endocytosis and the dynamic intracellular translocation to the lysosomes. As such, this study provides a suitable chemical tool for the study of receptor dynamics using fluorescently tagged glycoclusters.

Graphical abstract: A BODIPY-tagged trivalent glycocluster for receptor-targeting fluorescence imaging of live cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
15 Dec 2024
Accepted
20 May 2025
First published
27 May 2025
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2025,16, 11481-11486

A BODIPY-tagged trivalent glycocluster for receptor-targeting fluorescence imaging of live cells

C. Guo, F. Si, C. Wang, N. Wang, X. Hu, T. D. James, J. Li, C. Wang and X. He, Chem. Sci., 2025, 16, 11481 DOI: 10.1039/D4SC08472A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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