The mechanisms of drug-receptor interactions and the controlled delivery of drugs via biodegradable and biocompatible nanoparticulate carriers are active research fields in nanomedicine. Many clinically used drugs target G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) due to the fact that signaling via GPCRs is crucial in physiological and pathological processes and thus central for the function of biological systems. In this letter, a fast and reliable ratiometric fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (rmFLIM) approach is described to analyze the distribution of protein-ligand complexes in the cellular context. Binding of the fluorescently labeled antagonist naloxone to the G-protein coupled μ-opioid receptor is used as an example. To show the broad applicability of the rmFLIM method, we extended this approach to investigate the distribution of polymer-based nanocarriers in histological liver sections.
Keywords: FLIM; G-protein coupled receptors; ligand binding; nanocarrier; μ-opioid receptor.