Gold Nanoparticle-Based Probe for Analyzing Mitochondrial Temperature in Living Cells

Validation of recent findings of hot mitochondria in cancer cells is critically needed, since a single fluorescent probe cannot rule out the possibility of varied cellular uptake efficiencies. Here we developed a ratiometric nanoprobe, named the mitochondria-targeted thermoresponsive-gold nanoparticle (MTT-AuNP), for analyzing mitochondrial temperatures. Results confirmed a relatively high mitochondrial temperature in murine bladder cancer MB49 cells. High temperatures in mitochondria might have far-reaching implications for developing mitochondria-targeted therapeutics.