A fluorescence probe for imaging lipid droplet and visualization of diabetes-related polarity variations

Diabetes mellitus is a disorder that affects lipid metabolism. Abnormalities in the lipid droplets (LDs) can lead to disturbances in lipid metabolism, which is a significant feature of diabetic patients. Nevertheless, the correlation between diabetes and the polarity of LDs has received little attention in the scientific literature. In order to detect LDs polarity changes in diabetes illness models, we created a new fluorescence probe LD-DCM. This probe has a stable structure, high selectivity, and minimal cytotoxicity. The probe formed a typical D-π-A molecular configuration with triphenylamine (TPA) and dicyanomethylene-4H-pyran (DCM) as electron donor and acceptor parts. The LD-DCM molecule has an immense solvatochromic effect (λ