Light-mediated chemical reactions are powerful methods for manipulating and interrogating biological systems. Photosensitizers, compounds that generate reactive oxygen species upon excitation with light, can be utilized for numerous biological experiments, but the repertoire of bioavailable photosensitizers is limited. Here, we describe the synthesis, characterization, and utility of two photosensitizers based upon the widely used rhodamine scaffold and demonstrate their efficacy for chromophore-assisted light inactivation, cell ablation in culture and in vivo, and photopolymerization of diaminobenzidine for electron microscopy. These chemical tools will facilitate a broad range of applications spanning from targeted destruction of proteins to high-resolution imaging.

光介导的化学反应是操纵和询问生物系统的有效方法。光敏剂是一种在光激发下产生活性氧的化合物，可用于许多生物实验，但生物可利用的光敏剂种类有限。在这里，我们描述了两种基于广泛使用的罗丹明支架的光敏剂的合成、表征和效用，并展示了它们在发色团辅助光灭活、培养和体内细胞消融以及用于电子显微镜的二氨基联苯胺光聚合方面的功效。这些化学工具将促进广泛的应用，从靶向破坏蛋白质到高分辨率成像。