title: Specific Imaging of Intracellular Lipid Droplets Using a Benzothiadiazole Derivative with Solvatochromic Properties.
abstract: Altered lipid metabolism and extensive lipid storage in cells have been associated with various medical disorders, including cancer. The development of fluorescent probes that specifically accumulate in lipid deposits is therefore of great interest in order to study pathological processes that are linked to dysregulated lipogenesis. In the present study, we present a small fluorescent benzothiadiazole dye that specifically stains lipid droplets in living and fixated cells. The photophysical characterization of the probe revealed strong solvatochromic behavior, large Stokes shifts, and high fluorescent quantum yields in hydrophobic solvents. In addition, the fluorophore exhibits a nontoxic profile and a high signal-to-noise ratio in cells (i.e., lipid droplets vs cytosol), which make it an excellent candidate for studying lipid biology using confocal fluorescent microscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University , 581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Appelqvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg , 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kati
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stranius
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg , 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Börjesson
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University , 581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: K Peter R
authors.initials: KPR
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University , 581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4647-9769
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dyrager
mesh_terms: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D066292:Lipid Droplets / Q000737:chemistry*; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013830:Thiadiazoles / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D013830:Thiadiazoles; C015700:benzo-1,2,3-thiadiazole