Mitochondrial-Targeting Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probe for Visualizing Viscosity in Drug-Induced Cells and a Fatty Liver Mouse Model

Mitochondria, as cell energy stations, are involved in the regulation of various cell functions. Recent investigations revealed that mitochondrial dysfunction that can cause an intracellular viscosity mutation ,a process that is associated with an increasing number of diseases that are not curable or manageable. However, conventional viscometers cannot be used to monitor the viscosity changes in living cells and in vivo. In order tocater to the complex biological environment, we present a chemical toolbox,MI-BP-CC, that employsN,N-diethyl and double bonds as sensitive sites forviscosity based on the TICT mechanism (twisted intramolecular charge transfer) to monitor the viscosity of living cells and fatter liver mice.MI-BP-CCfeatures good mitochondrial targeting and a near-infrared emission. Surprisingly, in the presence of viscosity, the MI-BP-CCprobe exhibited anultrasensitive model for viscosity detection showing a redfluorescence signalfrom a silentoffstate toon. More importantly, utilizing the satisfactory detection performance of MI-BP-CC, we have successfully visualized increased viscosity under the pathological models of Parkinson's (PD) and fatty liver mice. We anticipate that these findings will provide a convenient and efficient tool to understand physiological functions of viscosity in more biosystems

Automated summary

This study presents a chemical toolbox, MI-BP-CC, for monitoring viscosity in living cells and fatter liver mice. The toolbox utilizes N,N-diethyl and double bonds as sensitive sites based on the TICT mechanism. The MI-BP-CC probe shows ultra-sensitivity in detecting viscosity and has successfully visualized increased viscosity in pathological models of Parkinson's disease and fatty liver mice.