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- Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Storage and Light Energy Conversion Matreials of Haikou City, Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Storage and Energy Conversion of Hainan Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
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- Engineering Research Center for Hainan Bio-Smart Materials and Bio-Medical Devices, Key Laboratory of Hainan Functional Materials and Molecular Imaging, College of Emergency and Trauma, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China
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- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of TCM Evaluation and Translational Research, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China
Received 24 June 2025, Revised 22 July 2025, Accepted 25 July 2025, Available online 27 July 2025, Version of Record 5 August 2025.
Highlights
•A newly developed viscosity-responsive fluorescent probe (CzTP-CNPh) has been synthesized.
•CzTP-CNPh exhibits high viscosity sensitivity, high selectivity, a large Stokes shift, and outstanding LDs-targeting ability.
•CzTP-CNPh enables the visualization of viscosity changes in LDs in cells, zebrafish and NAFLD models.
Abstract
As a global health threat, early and effective diagnosis and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is crucial. Once the optimal treatment window is missed, NAFLD will progress to various severe and irreversible liver dysfunctions, imposing a heavy burden on patients and the medical system. Here, a novel “D-π-A” type fluorescent probe (CzTP-CNPh) has been successfully constructed for exploring changes in lipid droplets (LDs) viscosity during the process of nonalcoholic fatty liver development. Research results show that probe CzTP-CNPh exhibits excellent viscosity sensitivity, high selectivity, a large Stokes shift, outstanding LDs-targeting ability and so on. Based on these advantages, this probe enables the visualization of viscosity changes in LDs within cells and zebrafish. More importantly, imaging experiments in cellular and tissue models reveal that LDs viscosity tends to increase during NAFLD progression. This work offers the insights for enhancing the understanding of LDs in pathological processes, potentially aiding in the early diagnosis of NAFLD.
