Spatiotemporal Super-Resolution Imaging of Lipid Metabolism Dynamics in Physiological/Pathological Conditions

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Molecular Biology
• Disease Pathogenesis

Background:

• Dysregulated lipid metabolism is central to many diseases.
• Current methods lack effective solutions for dynamic monitoring of lipid metabolism.
• Understanding lipid metabolism dynamics is crucial for disease progression insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel probe for spatiotemporal super-resolution imaging of lipid metabolism dynamics.
• To enable deep understanding of lipid metabolism in disease pathogenesis.
• To provide a tool for diagnosing and advancing therapies for lipid metabolism-related diseases.

Main Methods:

• Development of a polarity-sensitive, lipid droplet (LD)-targeted probe.
• Utilizing stimulated emission depletion (STED) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) platform.
• Application in orthotopic pathology models, zebrafish models, and atherosclerosis/fatty liver tissues.

Main Results:

• Achieved super-resolution visualization and dynamic tracking of LD fusion and expansion mechanisms.
• Captured lipid metabolism at the organismal level in zebrafish.
• Accurately monitored lipid metabolism in cellular and pathological tissue contexts.

Conclusions:

• The developed probe and STED-FLIM platform offer unprecedented insights into lipid metabolism dynamics.
• This technology provides a novel approach for diagnosing lipid metabolism-related diseases.
• The findings advance therapeutic development for conditions associated with aberrant lipid metabolism.