1 research outputs found
Fluorescence Imaging of Diabetic Cataract-Associated Lipid Droplets in Living Cells and Patient-Derived Tissues
Diabetic cataract (DC) surgery carries risks such as
slow wound
healing, macular edema, and progression of retinopathy and is faced
with a deficiency of effective drugs. In this context, we proposed
a protocol to evaluate the drug’s efficacy using lipid droplets
(LDs) as the marker. For this purpose, a fluorescent probe PTZ-LD for LDs detection is developed based on the phenothiazine unit.
The probe displays polarity-dependent emission variations, i.e., lower
polarity leading to stronger intensity. Especially, the probe exhibits
photostability superior to that of Nile Red, a commercial LDs staining
dye. Using the probe, the formation of LDs in DC-modeled human lens
epithelial (HLE) cells is validated, and the interplay of LDs–LDs
and LDs-others are investigated. Unexpectedly, lipid transfer between
LDs is visualized. Moreover, the therapeutic efficacy of various drugs
in DC-modeled HLE cells is assessed. Ultimately, more LDs were found
in lens epithelial tissues from DC patients than in cataract tissues
for the first time. We anticipate that this work can attract more
attention to the important roles of LDs during DC progression