Lysosomal enzymes and high accumulation of lipid droplets are associated with breast cancer. The lysosomes and lipid droplets were monitored by BODIPYs, acting as autophagy activators in cancer cells. BD-1 and BD-2 were synthesized and characterized by Mass, UV-visible, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopies. In BODIPYs, the effect of carbazole groups was reflected by the large Stokes shifts (2143-1651 cm-1) and red fluorescence. BODIPYs generated ROS and induced autophagy in triple negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) under white light. Confocal experiments revealed that BD-1 and BD-2 preferentially colocalized in lysosomes and lipid droplets. Autophagic lysosomes and lipid droplets released Ca2+ ions in the cytoplasm, which was evident with blue fluorescence of Fura-2M dye. In combination with an autophagy inhibitor, BD-1 displayed excellent photocytotoxicity (5.57 μM) on triple negative breast cancer cells under white light. This work demonstrates the potential of BODIPYs as theranostic agents for the photodynamic therapy against TNBC.
© 2024 American Chemical Society.