Nanometer-Precision Tracking of Adipocyte Dynamics via Single Lipid Droplet Whispering-Gallery Optical Resonances
Rok Podlipec, Ana Krišelj, Maja Zorc, Petra Matjan Štefin, Siegfried Usaar, Matjaž Humar
TL;DR
A new biophotonic technique uses light to track tiny fat droplets in living cells with extreme precision, revealing cell behavior and metabolism in real time.
Contribution
This is the first application of whispering-gallery-mode resonances in live adipocytes for nanometer-scale tracking of lipid droplet dynamics.
Findings
The technique achieves nanometer-scale precision in measuring lipid droplet size and deformation in real time.
It detects early signs of cell viability loss before conventional assays can.
The method reveals adipocyte heterogeneity and lipolytic responses to drugs like forskolin and isoproterenol.
Abstract
Biophotonicsand more recently, biointegrated photonicsoffer transformative tools for probing cellular processes with unprecedented precision. Among these, whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators (optical microcavities formed in spherical structures) have emerged as powerful biosensors and intracellular barcodes. Lipid droplets (LDs), with their high refractive index and intrinsic spherical geometry, are ideal candidates for supporting intracellular lasing. Although lasing in LDs has been previously demonstrated, it has not yet been harnessed to study live-cell biology. Here, we report the first use of WGM resonances in LDs of live primary adipocytes, employing a continuous-wave (CW) laser at powers below the biological damage threshold. By measuring these resonances, we achieved nanometer-scale precision in size estimation, enabling real-time observation of rapid LD dynamics and…
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Taxonomy
TopicsPhotonic and Optical Devices · Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices · Mechanical and Optical Resonators