Citation: Shiyue Zheng, Bokyeong Hwang, Eun Seo Kim, In-Jeong Lee, Xiaoqiang Chen, Yahui Chen, Hwan Myung Kim, Juyoung Yoon. Two-photon fluorescent probe for specific imaging of lipid droplets[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(11): 112248. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.112248 shu

Two-photon fluorescent probe for specific imaging of lipid droplets

Shiyue Zheng ^{a, b, 1} ,
Bokyeong Hwang ^{c, 1} ,
Eun Seo Kim ^{e, 1} ,
In-Jeong Lee ^f ,
Xiaoqiang Chen ^a ,
Yahui Chen ^{a, *,} ,
Hwan Myung Kim ^{e, *,} ,
Juyoung Yoon ^{c, d, *,}

a.
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518071, China
b.
Research Institute for Biomass Materials, Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, Chengdu 610213, China
c.
Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, South Korea
d.
Graduate Program in Innovative Biomaterials Convergence, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, South Korea
e.
Department of Energy Systems Research and Department of Chemistry, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, South Korea
f.
Three-Dimensional Immune System Imaging Core Facility, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, South Korea

yhchen1992@163.com

kimhm@ajou.ac.kr

jyoon@ewha.ac.kr

Received Date: 8 October 2025
Revised Date: 8 December 2025
Accepted Date: 9 December 2025
Available Online: 9 December 2025

Figures(6)

Lipid droplets are specialized organelles within cells that serve as the primary storage sites for neutral lipids and participate in the physiological activities of cells. Changes in the polarity and aggregation of lipid droplets can serve as indicators for diagnosing certain diseases. Therefore, a specific fluorescence probe LD-1 with donor-acceptor (D-A) structure, which exhibited low cytotoxicity, accurate targeting ability, excellent photostability, sensitivity to polarity, and deep tissue penetration, was designed for tracking lipid droplets in vivo. LD-1 exhibited remarkable two-photon characteristics, with a two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-section over 200 GM, and enabled deep tissue imaging (~16 µm) in a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) model. Additionally, LD-1 could selectively stain lipid droplets in the liver tissues of fatty liver model mice, providing deeper insights into the pathological and physiological aspects of fatty liver disease.
- Fluorescent probe,
- Lipid droplets,
- Two-photon imaging,
- Solvatochromic effect,
- Liver disease diagnosis
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