A new small molecule probe for in vivo lipid imaging, LipidGreen (compound 5), was developed. LipidGreen stained lipid droplets in 3T3L1 cell lines and fat deposits in zebrafish without apparent toxicity up to 100 μM. The utility of LipidGreen as a drug screening platform for fat regulation was also demonstrated in live zebrafish.

We have developed LipidGreen2, a second generation small molecule probe for lipid imaging. LipidGreen2 has a better fluorescence signal compared with the previous LipidGreen, and selectively stains neutral lipids in cells and fat deposits in live zebrafish. We also demonstrate the application of LipidGreen2 for detecting fatty liver.

Imaging. -The compound (III), named LipidGreen, stains lipid droplets in 3T3L1 pre-adipocyte cell lines and fat deposits in zebrafish. Therefore, it is demonstrated to screen the fat regulation live in zebrafish. -(LEE, J. H.; SO, J.-H.; JEON, J. H.; CHOI, E. B.; LEE, Y.-R.; CHANG, Y.-T.; KIM, C.-H.; BAE, M. A.; AHN*, J. H.; Chem. Commun. (Cambridge) 47 (2011) 26, 7500-7502, http://dx.