Detecting inflammation in the diabetic mice with a fluorescence lifetime-based probe

Area of Science:

• Biomedical imaging
• Molecular probes
• Diabetes research

Background:

• Diabetes is a systemic metabolic disease causing inflammation and increased cellular viscosity.
• Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) offers robust biological sample analysis, independent of fluorescence intensity.
• Detecting cellular viscosity changes is crucial for understanding and diagnosing diabetes-related complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel amphiphilic molecular probe, YF-V, for viscosity sensing.
• To investigate the probe's response to viscosity changes via fluorescence lifetime.
• To apply the probe for detecting glucose-induced cellular viscosity changes and assessing diabetic organ damage.

Main Methods:

• Design and synthesis of the YF-V molecular probe.
• Utilizing fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) for viscosity measurements.
• In vitro cellular studies and in vivo experiments with diabetic mouse models.

Main Results:

• The YF-V probe exhibits stable structure, good selectivity, and low cytotoxicity.
• The probe's fluorescence lifetime is extended in high-viscosity environments due to inhibited TICT mechanism.
• YF-V successfully detected glucose-induced cellular viscosity changes and differentiated viscosity in diabetic vs. normal mouse tissues.

Conclusions:

• YF-V is an effective molecular probe for sensitive detection of cellular viscosity changes.
• FLIM with YF-V provides an efficient method for evaluating organ damage in diabetes.
• This approach offers potential for early diagnosis and monitoring of diabetic complications.