Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, but they can also cause trouble when things go wrong. Two key factors that can indicate mitochondrial issues are levels of NAD(P)H and pH. These factors are closely linked to a process called mitochondrial autophagy, which is the cell's way of cleaning up damaged mitochondria. A new tool has been created to keep an eye on t...
Chlorothalonil, often shortened to CHT, is a tough chemical to deal with. It sticks around in the environment for a long time, builds up in living things, and can even seep into our water supplies. This makes it crucial to have a straightforward way to spot it. Most fluorescent probes, which are tools that glow to show the presence of certain substances, aren't great...
Lipid droplets are tiny fat bubbles inside cells. They are hard to study because they are small and move around a lot. For a long time, scientists have used a tool called Nile Red to see these droplets. It has been useful, but it has some problems. It is not very good at sticking to lipid droplets and it fades quickly under the microscope light. This makes it hard to...
Food safety is a big deal. It's important to know what's in the food we eat. One way to do this is by using special tools to spot certain substances. One of these substances is propyl gallate (PG). It's used to keep food fresh, but too much of it can be bad for health. So, scientists have come up with a new way to measure PG in food. This method uses something called...
Scientists are working on a new way to see and treat cancer. They are targeting proteins called BRD3 and BRD4, which are found in many types of cancer cells. Right now, doctors mainly use antibodies to spot these proteins. But these antibodies can be pricey and hard to use. Plus, they can't help treat the cancer. So, scientists created some special molecules called f...
Imagine being able to peer into the tiny world inside living cells, in real-time, to watch how they work. This is exactly what small-molecule fluorescent probes allow scientists to do. These tiny, glowing tools have changed the game in understanding biological processes. Instead of focusing on old ideas like membrane potential and microviscosity, scientists are now l...
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, is becoming a global health concern. One of its key features is the buildup of fat droplets, which causes stress on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plays a big role in the disease. Scientists created four special fluorescent probes, named COB1 to COB4, that can watch changes in fat droplets (LDs) and the ER inside cells...