Original Design of Fluorescent Ligands by Fusing BODIPY and Melatonin Neurohormone

An original design and synthesis of fluorescent ligands for melatonin receptor studies is presented and consists in the fusion of the endogenous ligand with the fluorescent BODIPY core. Probes I–IV show high affinities for MT1 and MT2 melatonin receptors and exhibit fluorescence properties compatible with cell observation.