Fluorescent molecules glow in water, enhancing cell imaging

Researchers from the University of Malaga (UMA) and IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND have developed a new family of fluorescent molecules that glow in a surprising way, with promising applications in the study of living cells and the medicine of the future. Their work has been published in the journal Advanced Materials.

Fluorescent molecules typically lose part of their intensity or change to duller colours when dissolved in water or other biological media. However, these new molecules do just the opposite: they emit a higher fluorescence intensity because their colouration shifts to the blue region of the light spectrum.

This counterintuitive behaviour is key because it means the dyes work better in aqueous media like the inside of a cell, something essential for biomedical applications. In other words, they do not turn off when they are needed most, but rather maintain — and even enhance — their brightness in real conditions of use.

When applied to biomedicine, the dyes allow researchers to ‘photograph’ the inside of the cells with great precision and without damaging them, thanks to a technique called multiphoton microscopy. This method enables deeper penetration into living tissues, obtaining clearer and safer images. They also have the ability to selectively mark mitochondria, the so-called ‘powerhouses of cells’ responsible for supplying the energy required for life, playing a key role in diseases such as cancer or neurodegenerative pathologies.

Not only do the new molecules offer images of a quality comparable to that of fluorescence, they are also easier and cheaper to produce. This opens the door to more accessible diagnostic tools to study essential cellular processes and, in the future, improve early detection of diseases.

“These results are tremendously encouraging,” said UMA Professors Ezequiel Pérez-Inestrosa and Juan Casado. “Not only do these molecules challenge an established rule in fluorescent chemistry, but they also open the door to new tools for studying diseases where mitochondria function is key. It is an example of what is achieved when fundamental chemistry meets research applied to biomedicine.”

Image credit: iStock.com/dra_schwartz