In Vivo Three-Photon Imaging of Lipids using Ultrabright Fluorogens with Aggregation-Induced Emission.
Shaowei WangXueqi LiSuet Yen ChongXiaoyuan WangHuan ChenChengjian ChenLai Guan NgJiong-Wei WangJie LiuPublished in: Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) (2021)
Fluorescent probes capable of in vivo lipids labeling are highly desirable for studying lipid-accumulation-related metabolic diseases, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, type-2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis. However, most of the current lipid-specific fluorophores cannot be used for in vivo labeling due to their strong hydrophobicity. Herein, organic dots from bright luminogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIEgen) are developed for in vivo labeling and three-photon fluorescence imaging of lipid-rich tissues, such as fatty liver, atherosclerotic plaques in brain vasculatures, and carotid arteries. The organic dots show excellent stability in an aqueous medium with high targeting specificity to lipids and strong three-photon fluorescence in the far-red/near-infrared (NIR) region under NIR-II laser excitation, which enables efficient in vivo labeling and imaging of lipids in deep tissues. The study will inspire the development of lipid-targeting fluorophores for in vivo applications.
Keyphrases
- fluorescence imaging
- living cells
- fluorescent probe
- fatty acid
- photodynamic therapy
- type diabetes
- high resolution
- gene expression
- single molecule
- cardiovascular disease
- cancer therapy
- multiple sclerosis
- skeletal muscle
- water soluble
- ionic liquid
- white matter
- mass spectrometry
- insulin resistance
- drug release
- light emitting
- high speed
- liver fibrosis
- adipose tissue