title: An easily accessible aggregation-induced emission probe for lipid droplet-specific imaging and movement tracking.
abstract: Lipid droplets (LDs) as dynamic organelles are associated with many metabolic processes. Ideal fluorescent probes for LD-specific imaging require excellent specificity, superior brightness, fast cell permeability, and easy preparation. However, conventional fluorophores for LD imaging suffer from drawbacks of aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ), poor photostability, and difficulty of preparation. To tackle these challenges, herein, we develop an easily accessible aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorescent probe for LD-specific imaging and dynamic movement tracking. This AIE probe has significant advantages in terms of fast cell permeability, low cytotoxicity, strong photostability, and high two-photon absorption cross-sections in the near infra-red (NIR) range. It is thus expected to have broad applications in the study of LDs' biological functions.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China. msqinaj@scut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Huifang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Shiwu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuhan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Anjun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Ben Zhong
authors.initials: BZ
authors.lastname: Tang