Fluorescent dyes absorbing and emitting in the visible and near-IR regions are promising for the development of fluorescent probes for labeling and bio-visualization of body cells. The ability to absorb and emit in the long-wavelength region increases the efficiency of recording the spectral signals of the probes due to the higher permeability of the skin layers. Compared to other fluorescent dyes, BODIPYs are attractive due to their excellent photophysical properties–narrow absorption and emission, intense fluorescence, simple signal modulation for the practical applications. As part of conjugates with biomolecules, BODIPY could act as a biomarker, but as therapeutic agent, which allows solving several problems at once-labeling or bioimaging and treatment based on the suppression of pathogenic microflora and cancer cells, which provides a huge potential for practical application of BODIPY conjugates in medicine. The review is devoted to the discussion of the recent, promising directions of BODIPY application in the field of conjugation with biomolecules. The first direction is associated with the development of BODIPY conjugates with drugs, including compounds of platinum, paclitaxel, chlorambucil, isoxazole, capsaicin, etc. The second direction is devoted to the labeling of vitamins, hormones, lipids, and other biomolecules to control the processes of their transport, localization in target cells, and metabolism. Within the framework of the third direction, the problem of obtaining functional optically active materials by conjugating BODIPY with other colored and fluorescent particles, in particular, phthalocyanines, is being solved.

Thermal oxidative decomposition of samples of crystalline hydrobromide and borofluoride complexes (BODIPY) of a series of 2,2′-dipyrrolylmethenes (HL) was studied by means of thermogravimetry in an atmosphere of air oxygen. An increase in the degree and symmetry of substitution, aromaticity, and the length of the substituents in 4,4′-positions of the pyrrole ligand rings increases stability of the BODIPY-dyes to oxidative degradation. A comparative analysis of the influence of structural factors on the thermolability of hydrobromdes (HL·HBr), d-metal (ML₂) and boron(III) complexes with 2,2′-dipyrrolylmethenes was carried out.

The reactions of seven symmetrically alkylated tetradentate ligands 3,3′-bis(dipyrrolylmethenes) (H₂L) with d-metal acetates (M(AcO)₂) in DMF solutions at 298.15 K were studied by spectrophotometry. Helicands H2L were found to be structurally preorganized to form stable binuclear homoleptic two-helix helicates [M₂L₂] with Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) acetates. The coordination of the ligands by the metal ions included consecutive stages of formation of the heteroleptic [M₂L(AcO)₂] and homoleptic [M₂L₂] complexes. The [M₂L(AcO)₂] complexes were spectrally revealed in solutions containing a ligand excess (c _{H 2 L} / c _{M(AcO) 2} > 1). An increase in the salt concentration shifted the system of equilibria to the homoligand product [M₂L₂]. The thermodynamic constants of the reactions increased in the series of complexing agents: Cu(II) < Cd(II) < Hg(II) < Ni(II) < Co(II) < Zn(II). An analysis of the data on the thermodynamic constants of [M₂L₂] helicate formation in solutions and the earlier obtained results of the IR and ¹H NMR studies of the hydrobromic salts of the ligands (H₂L · 2HBr) showed that the key regularities of the influence of the structural factors on the coordination properties of the ligands were in an increase in the stability of the [M₂L₂] complexes with an increase in the basicity of the ligands.