Unit-Emitting Carbon Dots for Cell Imaging and Lipid Droplet Quantification

The interactions between carbon dots (C-dots) and cells and the corresponding subcellular organelle localization are both significant for bio-sensing and bio-imaging. In this study, we explore cellular uptake and internalization behaviors of two kinds of lipophilic unit-emitting C-dots for three different kinds of cells. It is found that both C-dots can localize in lipid droplets with high efficiency. Compared with commercial dyes, the imaged lipid droplets by the proposed C-dots possess well-defined outlines. Based on such superior imaging performances, the quantification of lipid droplets for cells pretreated by oleic acid stimulation and starvation is well achieved.