Bromine Indirubin FLIM/PLIM sensors to measure oxygen in normoxic and hypoxic PDT conditions.

BACKGROUND: The induction of phototoxicity during photodynamic therapy (PDT) is dependent on oxygen availability. For this reason, the development of sensors to measure oxygen and oxygen consumption is extremely important.

APPROACH: In this project we have used Fluorescence Lifetime imaging (FLIM) and Phosphorescence Lifetime Imaging/ delayed Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (PLIM/dFLIM) to investigate the ability of bromine indirubin derivatives as oxygen sensors.

RESULTS: The oxygen sensitivity of bromine indirubins was detected through PLIM/dFLIM. Moreover, we have observed by measuring nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) FLIM that bromine indirubin have a significant impact on cellular metabolism by shifting the SCC-4 Cells metabolism from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to glycolysis.

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study successfully achieves its goals and provides important insights into the use of indirubin as a potential oxygen consumption sensor with the capability to identify and differentiate between normoxic and hypoxic regions within the cells.