School of Materials and Chemistry, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036 Hefei, P. R. China.
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Sensors, Ministry of Agriculture Rural Affairs, 230036 Hefei, P. R. China.
Analyst. 2024 Sep 23;149(19):4953-4959. doi: 10.1039/d4an00912f.
Lipid droplets (LDs) and lysosomes are vital organelles that play crucial roles in various physiological and pathological processes. However, simultaneous two-color visualization of these two organelles using a single probe for cell homeostasis monitoring remains a challenge due to the lack of rational design strategies. To address this issue, we have developed an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorescent probe named TPE-NDI-Mor with an electron donor (D)-acceptor (A) structure, which can stain both LDs and lysosomes with high selectivity through green and red fluorescence imaging, respectively. A detailed mechanism study revealed that TPE-NDI-Mor, with a twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) effect, shows a high affinity for a polar microenvironment. Additionally, the probe also demonstrates good stability, high anti-interference performance and a large Stokes shift, making it suitable for visualizing cell homeostasis and further disease diagnosis by tracking the dynamic changes of LDs and lysosomes.
脂滴 (LDs) 和溶酶体是重要的细胞器，在各种生理和病理过程中发挥着关键作用。然而，由于缺乏合理的设计策略，使用单个探针同时可视化这两种细胞器仍然是一个挑战。为了解决这个问题，我们开发了一种聚集诱导发射 (AIE) 荧光探针，名为 TPE-NDI-Mor，具有电子给体 (D)-受体 (A) 结构，能够分别通过绿色和红色荧光成像对 LDs 和溶酶体进行高选择性染色。详细的机制研究表明，具有扭曲分子内电荷转移 (TICT) 效应的 TPE-NDI-Mor 对极性微环境具有高亲和力。此外，该探针还表现出良好的稳定性、高抗干扰性能和大斯托克斯位移，使其适合通过跟踪 LDs 和溶酶体的动态变化来可视化细胞内环境稳态，并进一步用于疾病诊断。
