BODIPY™ 581/591 C11 undecanoic acid (Lipid Peroxidation Sensor) is a sensitive fluorescent probe for lipid peroxidation assays that localizes to membranes in live cells. Oxidation of the polyunsaturated butadienyl portion of this fatty acid analog in live cells results in a shift of the fluorescence emission peak from red (∼590 nm) to green (∼510 nm), allowing ratiometric analysis of lipid peroxidation using fluorescence microscopy, high-content analysis, and flow cytometry. In the reduced state, the excitation and emission maxima of BODIPY 581/591 C11 is 581/591 nm; after oxidation, the probe shifts the excitation and emission to 488/510 nm.

Lipid peroxidation is the oxidative degradation of cellular lipids by free radicals from reactive oxygen species, which can degrade lipids containing carbon-carbon double bonds such as phospholipids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oxidation of lipids leads to the generation of lipid peroxides and can cause damage to cell membranes, resulting in changes to signal transduction pathways and eventually leading to cell death. Lipid peroxidation is involved in apoptosis and one of the main contributors to ferroptosis, an iron-dependent, non-apoptotic form of cell death. Oxidative stress from lipid peroxidation plays a role in aging, as well as pathologies such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases.

The BODIPY 581/591 C11 reagent provides a sensitive method to measure lipid peroxidation that occurs in these biological processes and pathological conditions. Because it shifts its fluorescence emission upon oxidation and can be measured through ratiometric fluorescence analysis at two wavelengths, measurement with the BODIPY 581/591 C11 reagent can minimize variations in fluorescence intensity due to factors such as indicator concentration, excitation intensity, and photobleaching. The BODIPY 581/591 C11 reagent can also be used for fluorometric lipid peroxidation assays of antioxidant efficacy in plasma and lipid vesicles.

The BODIPY™ 581/591 C11 (Lipid Peroxidation Sensor) reagent is also available in the Image-iT™ Lipid Peroxidation Kit (Cat. No. C10445) which includes cumene hydroperoxide as a positive control to induce lipid peroxidation in live cells.

We recommend dissolving in high-quality anhydrous DMSO to attain a stock concentration of 1 to 10 mM.