Hydrophilic polymeric fluorescent probes based on benzothiadiazole constructed for real- time monitoring of lipid droplet levels in cells

A water-soluble polymer probe NBMA- co -PEGMA ₄₀₀ was constructed by selecting benzothiazole as a fluorescent parent and modifying it with hydrophilic PEGMA ₄₀₀ moiety by reversible addition-breakage chain transfer polymerization (RAFT). Furthermore, the probe was sensitive to environmental polarity and had some solvent discoloration effect. More significantly, the polymer probe had some membrane permeability, which enabled the localization of intracellular LDs and real-time assessment of lipid droplets levels in dissimilar cells. The results demonstrated the potential of polymeric probes for applications in areas such as biomonitoring and early disease diagnosis.