Mass spectrometric analysis demonstrates that BODIPY 581/591 C11 overestimates and inhibits oxidative lipid damage

BODIPY C11 is being used with increasing frequency to quantify lipid oxidation; however, it is not known whether signals from the dye yield accurate information. To determine the quantitative accuracy of signals from this dye we utilized a triple-quadrupole mass spectroscopy method to measure concentrations of 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (SAPC) as it underwent oxidative damage, and compared these results to fluorescence signals from the dye. Results indicate that BODIPY C11 was significantly more sensitive to oxidative damage than SAPC lipid. As a consequence, BODIPY C11 overreported the extent of oxidative lipid damage, underreported the antioxidant effect of α-tocopherol, and exhibited an antioxidant effect of its own. We conclude that BODIPY C11 fluorescence does not yield quantitative information about lipid oxidation, although the dye remains a sensitive indicator of free radical processes that have the potential to oxidize lipids in membranes.