A BODIPY-luminol chemiluminescent resonance energy-transfer (CRET) cassette for imaging of cellular superoxide

Spectroscopic and in cellulo studies are here reported on the very first BODIPY-luminol chemiluminescent resonance energy-transfer (CRET) cassette where the luminol CL agent is covalently linked to the BODIPY energy-transfer acceptor in a molecular dyad. The efficiency of intramolecular CRET investigated for the BODIPY-luminol dyad was found to be 64% resulting in a dual emissive response. Successful in cellulo biochemiluminescence via CRET was achieved in PMA activated splenocytes.