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Published on: July 29, 2021
A polarity-sensitive naphthalimide-based red-emissive fluorescent probe for live-cell imaging
Premjit Kar1,2, Swapan Maity3, Ayan Bera1
1Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, JIS Institute of Advanced Studies and Research, JIS University, JIS Institute of Advanced Studies and Research (JISIASR), JIS School of Medical Science and Research Campus, 51, South Nayabaz, GIP Colony, Nibra, Howrah, West Bengal 711112, India. spbhuniya@jisiasr.org.
Researchers developed Nap-P, a novel fluorescent probe, to visualize cellular polarity in real-time. This probe can detect changes in polarity under stress, aiding in cancer cell research.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
- Chemical Biology
Background:
- Cellular polarity is vital for cell functions like division and migration.
- Altered polarity is linked to diseases, particularly cancer.
- Live-cell imaging requires sensitive probes to track dynamic cellular changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a novel polarity-sensitive fluorescent probe, Nap-P.
- To assess Nap-P's utility for live-cell imaging of cellular polarity.
- To investigate polarity changes in cancer cells under stress conditions.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized Nap-P, a fluorescent probe sensitive to solvent polarity.
- Measured spectral shifts (absorption and emission) in response to varying polarity.
- Evaluated probe selectivity against viscosity and biological analytes.
- Performed live-cell imaging in cervical cancer (SiHa) and normal (3T3-L1) cells under starvation and oxidative stress.
Main Results:
- Nap-P exhibited spectral shifts (429 nm to 446 nm absorption) with increasing polarity.
- Increased polarity caused a red shift in emission maxima and decreased fluorescence intensity.
- The probe demonstrated minimal sensitivity to viscosity and common biological molecules.
- Nap-P enabled real-time visualization of intracellular polarity fluctuations in live cells.
- Cancer cells showed reduced fluorescence under stress, indicating increased intracellular polarity.
Conclusions:
- Nap-P is a sensitive and selective fluorescent probe for live-cell polarity imaging.
- The probe effectively monitors dynamic polarity changes in response to cellular stress.
- Nap-P offers a valuable tool for studying cancer cell biology and related pathologies.
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