Application of azacyclobutane modified perylene imide fluorescent probes targeting lipid droplets in the diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver

Fatty liver can be divided into metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease, alcoholic fatty liver and special type fatty liver. Among them, MAFLD is generally ignored due to its early clinical symptoms, which can lead to malignant diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer in the long run. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment can effectively prevent malignant lesions, so as to ensure good health and improve the quality of life. As a specific index of MAFLD, the dynamic change in lipid droplets can also reflect the change in the disease course. Therefore, we conducted relevant biological experiments on the newly synthesized azacyclic butane perylene imide a fluorescent probe (PDIs-560) targeting lipid droplets. The results show that it not only has excellent targeting of lipid droplets <i>in vivo</i> but also can detect lipid droplets quickly and sensitively in the MAFLD mouse model. This method of <i>in situ</i>, real-time and non-destructive detection of lipid droplets by the PDIs-560 fluorescent probe is expected to provide a new way for early clinical diagnosis and monitoring of MAFLD.