State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Key Laboratory of Paper Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Faculty of Light Industry, Qi Lu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Sciences, Jinan 250353, China.
Biosensors (Basel). 2022 Oct 9;12(10):851. doi: 10.3390/bios12100851.
Lipid droplets (LDs) are simple intracellular storage sites for neutral lipids and exhibit important impact on many physiological processes. For example, the changes in the polar microenvironment inside LDs could affect physiological processes, such as lipid metabolism and storage, protein degradation, signal transduction, and enzyme catalysis. Herein, a new fluorescent chemo-sensor (Couoxo-LD) was formulated by our molecular design strategy. The probe could be applied to effectively label intracellular lipid droplets. Intriguingly, Couoxo-LD demonstrated positive sensitivity to both polarity and viscosity, which might be attributed to its D-π-A structure and the twisted rotational behavior of the carbon-carbon double bond (TICT). Additionally, Couoxo-LD was successfully implemented in cellular imaging due to its excellent selectivity, pH stability, and low biotoxicity. In HeLa cells, the co-localization curve between Couoxo-LD and commercial lipid droplet dyes overlapped at 0.93. The results indicated that the probe could selectively sense LDs in HeLa cells. Meanwhile, Couoxo-LD can be applied for in vivo imaging of zebrafish.
脂滴（LDs）是中性脂质的简单细胞内储存场所，对许多生理过程有重要影响。例如，LDs 内部的极性微环境变化会影响脂质代谢和储存、蛋白质降解、信号转导和酶催化等生理过程。在此，我们通过分子设计策略构建了一种新型荧光化学传感器（Couoxo-LD）。该探针可用于有效标记细胞内的脂滴。有趣的是，Couoxo-LD 对极性和粘度均表现出正敏性，这可能归因于其 D-π-A 结构和碳-碳双键的扭曲旋转行为（TICT）。此外，由于其出色的选择性、pH 稳定性和低生物毒性，Couoxo-LD 可成功用于细胞成像。在 HeLa 细胞中，Couoxo-LD 与商业脂滴染料的共定位曲线在 0.93 处重叠。结果表明，该探针可选择性地检测 HeLa 细胞中的 LD。同时，Couoxo-LD 可用于斑马鱼的体内成像。
