A method to investigate the metabolic activity of intracellular tryptophan (TRP) and coenzyme-NADH using three-photon (3P) fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is presented. Through systematic analysis of FLIM data from tumorigenic and nontumorigenic cells, a statistically significant decrease in the fluorescence lifetime of TRP was observed in response to the increase in protein-bound NADH as cells were treated with glucose. The results demonstrate the potential use of 3P-FLIM-FRET as a tool for label-free screening of the change in metabolic flux occurring in human diseases or other clinical conditions.