Lipid Science & Technology

Triglycerides (TG) are the main form of fat in the human diet, but increased consumption of TG may lead to the development of obesity and diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiac lipotoxicity, hepatic steatosis and cancer. Despite the important role of TG in human health and nutrition the role of this important metabolite still remains elusive due to the lack of real-time noninvasive imaging tools. To address this unmet need we developed a novel optical probe that is based on sensitive bioluminescent readout. This reagent allows quantification and imaging of TG uptake in live cells and living mice non- invasively in real time. Using this new reagent, we have investigated the role of  gut microbiota on the rate/amount of absorption of TG in live mice.