Synergistically Activated Aggregation-Induced Emission Probe for Precise In Situ Staining of Lipids in Atherosclerotic Plaques

Visualizing the localization and distribution of lipids within arteries is crucial for studying atherosclerosis. However, existing lipid-specific probes face challenges such as strong hydrophobicity and nonspecific staining of lipophilic organelles or tissues, making them impractical for the precise identification of atherosclerotic plaques. To address this issue, we design a synergistically activated probe, Cbz-Lys-Lys-TPEB, which responds to cathepsin B (CTB) and H