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Updated: Jun 16, 2025
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Published on: February 20, 2019
Assessing Atherosclerosis by Super-Resolution Imaging of HClO in Foam Cells Using a Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe
Miaomiao Liu1, Weikang Peng1, Hongyong Zheng1
1Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Tumor Markers, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, China.
Insights
A new fluorescent probe, SFL-HClO, enables super-resolution imaging of lipid droplets and hypochlorous acid in foam cells. This tool aids in the early assessment of atherosclerotic disease by visualizing key markers in plaques.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Imaging
- Molecular Probes
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Atherosclerosis (AS) is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, characterized by atherosclerotic plaques.
- Foam cells, key components of these plaques, exhibit elevated lipid droplets (LDs) and hypochlorous acid (HClO) levels.
- Super-resolution imaging offers nanometer-level visualization of LD distribution and HClO within foam cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a ratiometric fluorescent probe, SFL-HClO, for super-resolution imaging of LDs and HClO.
- To assess the probe's capability in precise imaging of foam cells and atherosclerotic plaques.
- To evaluate SFL-HClO as a tool for early atherosclerotic disease assessment.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe, SFL-HClO.
- Application of SFL-HClO in super-resolution imaging of foam cells.
- Verification of SFL-HClO's response to LDs and HClO.
- In vivo imaging of atherosclerotic plaques in AS mice aorta.
Main Results:
- SFL-HClO enabled super-resolution imaging, revealing sub-organelle LD structure.
- The probe demonstrated excellent performance in detecting HClO on LD surfaces in foam cells.
- SFL-HClO sequentially and specifically responded to LDs and HClO with "turn-on" and ratiometric signals.
- Upregulated HClO in atherosclerotic plaques of AS mice was successfully reported by SFL-HClO.
Conclusions:
- SFL-HClO is a ratiometric fluorescent probe suitable for precise imaging of foam cells.
- The probe facilitates the visualization of LDs and HClO at the nanometer level.
- SFL-HClO serves as a valuable tool for early atherosclerotic disease assessment by reporting on HClO levels in plaques.
Abstract:
Atherosclerosis (AS) is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Foam cells, with elevated lipid droplets (LDs) and HClO levels, are the main components of the atherosclerotic plaques that are characteristic of AS. Super-resolution imaging can be used to visualize the distribution of LDs in foam cells at the nanometer level, facilitating the identification of LDs and HClO. In the present study, we report the development of a ratiometric fluorescent probe, SFL-HClO, for super-resolution imaging of LDs and HClO. Super-resolution imaging with this probe revealed the precise structure of LDs at the suborganelle level. Moreover, the fluorescence behavior of SFL-HClO on the surface of LDs verified its excellent performance in detecting HClO in the foam cells. SFL-HClO can sequentially and specifically respond to LDs and HClO via "turn-on" and ratiometric signal output, respectively, thus contributing to precise imaging of foam cells. Importantly, we demonstrate that SFL-HClO can be used to report on upregulated HClO in atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta of AS mice, providing a suitable fluorescent tool for early atherosclerotic disease assessment.
