Rhodamine Fluorophores for STED Super-Resolution Biological Imaging

Among all fluorescent scaffolds, rhodamine and its derivatives have gained the greatest interest for super-resolution imaging based on stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, because of their typically high brightness, excellent photo-stability and easy access to chemical derivatization. During the last few years, many successful examples have shown the imaging improvement by fine-tuning the chemical structure of rhodamine scaffolds. However, there is still a lack of overall summarization, particularly during the most recent five years. Herein, the recent achievements in the design of rhodamine dyes toward STED super-resolution bio-imaging are summarized, by classifying them into four parts according to different biological targets including the cytoskeletons, membranous organelles, DNA/RNAs and other functional substances. The basic principle for structure design as well as the relationships between chemical modification and the function for STED imaging will be mainly focused.

Automated summary

This article summarizes the recent achievements in the design of rhodamine dyes for STED super-resolution bio-imaging, classifying them according to different biological targets. The focus is on the basic principles of structure design and the relationship between chemical modification and the function of STED imaging.