Quantification of lipid droplets polarity for evaluating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via fluorescence lifetime imaging

A fluorescent probe for lipid droplet polarity imaging with low viscosity crosstalk

“…Abnormalities in the LD polarity could induce lipid metabolism along abnormal pathways, leading to LD dysfunction and many diseases. 13,14 LDs in cancer cells exhibit a lower polarity compared with normal cells. 11,13,15 Consequently, the development of a reliable and convenient strategy to feedback the polarity of LDs is of great significance for exploring the metabolic processes and polarity related to LDs.…”

“…[16][17][18] Since the employment of Nile red for indicating the production of cytoplasmic lipid droplets caused by acetylated low density lipoproteins, 19 fluorescent dyes have found application in the specific imaging of LDs. 1,6,[13][14][15][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] Nevertheless, such fluorescent dyes are still scarce in comparison with those for targeting mitochondria and lysosomes. There are fewer probes for sensing the changes of the lipid drop polarity.…”

Red emissive carbon dots as a fluorescent sensor for fast specific monitoring and imaging of polarity in living cells

“…Changes in the microenvironment in biological system have noteworthy impacts on various biological processes, for which the detection of related status is extremely consequential in the diagnosis and analysis of diseases, determination of disease pathological mechanisms, research and development into new drug targets. 1,2 As an integral microenvironment parameter in biological systems especially for living cells, polarity is vital for establishing and reecting a large number of sophisticated physiological functions and pathological effects, including activating functional proteins and immune responses, triggering signal transduction and membrane rearrangement, [3][4][5] polarity changes in protein binding, stimulation of cell migration and cell proliferation, affecting the interaction of extensive proteins and enzyme stability as well as the permeability of membrane compartments. 6,7 As a result, abnormal variations in polarity have been proved in relation to a diversity of disorders and diseases, such as inammation, organ failure and cancers.…”

In Vivo Imaging of Lipid Droplets and Oxygen Status in Hepatic Tissues of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Model Mice Using a Lipophilic Ir(III) Complex

“…Various LD-specific fluorescent probes have been developed, including commercially available ones. − These probes provide a useful means to assess the progression of NAFLD by observing changes in the number and size of LDs in hepatic tissues in vivo and ex vivo . − However, it is usually difficult to quantitatively evaluate oxygen levels in hepatic tissues in NAFLD using these fluorescent LD probes. To image LDs in the hepatic tissues of NAFLD and quantitatively assess their oxygen levels simultaneously, it is essential to develop oxygen probes with high cellular uptake efficiency and specific localization to LDs.…”