18F-Labelled BODIPY Dye as a Dual Imaging Agent: Radiofluorination and Applications in PET and Optical Imaging

Dual Positron emission tomography (PET)/optical imaging techniques have captured scientific interest for clinical applications due to their potential as an effective tool for visualizing in vivo information such as disease processes. 4,4′-Difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) dye has been considered an ideal platform strategy to achieve dual PET/optical imaging due to its photochemical nature and chemical structure. Various radiofluorination methods to prepare [¹⁸F]BODIPY dye have been developed and established, ranging from nucleophilic substitution reactions to isotope exchange reactions. In addition, ¹⁸F-labelled BODIPY dyes for biologically important targets have been used for in vivo and ex vivo studies. These studies proved the practicality of [¹⁸F]BODIPY dyes as a hybrid PET/optical imaging probe. In this review, recent advances in the synthesis and biological evaluation of ¹⁸F-labelled BODIPY dyes are described.