Polymeric microenvironment enhancing polarity response sensitivity for discriminating lipid droplets in cancer cells

• Published in: Analytica chimica acta Vol. 1297; p. 342330
• Main Authors: Zuo, Yujing, Gou, Zhiming, Lin, Weiying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 08-04-2024
• Subjects: Cancer cells; Lipid droplet; Polarity detection; Polysiloxane; Polysiloxane; Lipid droplet; Polarity detection; Cancer cells
• ISSN: 0003-2670; 1873-4324
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2024.342330

Cellular micro-environment analysis via fluorescence probe has become a powerful method to explore the early-stage cancer diagnosis and pathophysiological process of relevant diseases. The polarity change of intracellular lipid droplets (LDs) is closely linked with disorders or diseases, which result in various physiological and pathological processes. However, the efficient design strategy for lipid droplet polarity probes with high sensitivity is lacking. To overcome this difficulty, two kinds of LDs-targeting and polarity-sensitive fluorescent probes containing carbazole and siloxane groups were rationally designed and synthesized. With the carbazole-based rotor and bridge-like siloxanes, two probes (P1 and P2) behave high sensitivity to polarity changes and show different fluorescent intensity in normal and cancer cells. Notably, polysiloxanes groups promoted the response sensitivity of the probes dramatically for the polymeric microenvironment. In addition, due to the polarity changes of LDs in cancer cells, the distinct fluorescent intensities in different channels of laser scanning confocal microscope were observed between NHA cell and U87 cells. This work could offer an opportunity to monitor the dynamic behaviors of LDs and further provide a powerful tool to be potentially applied in the early-stage diagnosis of cancer.
Two kinds of carbazole-based LDs fluorescence probes with remarkable solvatochromic effect to polarity, which can able to distinguish cancerous and normal cells via distinct emission of fluorescence signal. [Display omitted]
•The polymeric microenvironment could enhance the polarity response sensitivity.•LDs-targeting and polarity-sensitive probes were designed.•The distinct fluorescent intensities were observed between different cells.