BODIPY-based probes for hypoxic environments

Hypoxic environment is an important feature of solid tumors, which comes from the imbalance of oxygen supply and consumption. Over the past few years, substantial progress has focused on the design of hypoxia probes derived from BODIPY scaffolds. Such probes are of particular interest and are closely related to tumor resistance to various therapies. This review highlights the construction strategies, recognition mechanisms as well as biological imaging applications of various BODIPY-based hypoxia probes. The aim is to inspire novel approaches and innovations for designing fluorescent probes to image hypoxic environments, and promote the development of diagnostics for tumors and hypoxia-responsive anticancer nanomedicines.