Biological analysis of lipid droplets (LDs) in foam cells, a characteristic feature of atherosclerosis, along with the screening of drugs to inhibit or ameliorate this phenomenon has been limited by the lack of live cell imaging modalities and the requirement of chemical labels and fixatives. Here we utilize 3-D optical diffraction tomography (ODT) integrated with fluorescence imaging to obtain a specific refractive index of LDs along with their quantitative morphological and biophysical parameters in label-free living cells. In addition, as a proof-of-concept, we demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of a nanodrug designed to effect the targeted delivery using time-lapse monitoring of live cells. These data support the potential utility of the developed label-free 3-D ODT imaging technique as a promising tool for LD characterization and to screen and track the efficacy of novel drugs even in the single-cell level against degenerative diseases.
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