A specific bioprobe for super-resolution fluorescence imaging of lipid droplets

Serving as important dynamic cytoplasmic organelles in cells, lipid droplets (LDs) play indispensable roles in membrane formation, intracellular signaling and energy supply for cellular functions. Hence, clear and selective probing and tracking of LDs to study their biological functions are of great interests in recent years. In this work, we synthesized and developed NIM-3A, a novel and highly selective fluorescent bioprobe for super-resolution imaging of LDs in living cells, which further allows us to quantitatively measure the number and diameter of LDs in a single living cell. Moreover, NIM-3A can also provide a reliable platform to monitor the dynamic movement of LDs, which further expands its potential applications in the cell biology of lipid droplets.