Boradeption: A New Procedure for Transferring Water-Insoluble Agents Across Cell Membranes

A new process has been developed which is called "Boradeption" to signify boronic acid-dependent phase transfer of water-insoluble agents. Highly fluorescent boronic acid derivatives, FluoroBoras, are solubilized with a physiologically compatible carrier buffer containing a receptor group for boronate adduct formation. The system can be used to stain living cells. In another variation of the Boradeption concept, an insoluble reporter molecule containing a boronate receptor is solubilized with a carrier buffer containing a boronic acid functional group. The boronate-receptor complexes, which are in dynamic equilibrium, can be designed as vital stains and reagents for a variety of biological and medical applications.