Fig. 3: Construction and characterization of KT-NE.

a Schematic illustration showing the ingredients and three-dimensional architecture of KT-NE. b Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showcasing the morphologies of KT-NE. Scale bar = 100 nm. c Analysis of the particle diameter changes of KT-NE stored at 4 °C over a 30-day period. d Temporal profiling of drug release kinetics involving DID- (red) and DIO- (green) labeled KT-NE within adipocytes over a 24-h interval. Noteworthy, the yellow triangles denote instances of representative non-colocalization within adipocytes, indicative of the drug release behavior. Scale bar=30 μm. e Dose-dependent cell viability of various cells (3T3-L1 preadipocytes, Inducer I treated preadipocytes, Inducer II treated preadipocytes, adipocytes, C2C12, HACAT, HEK-293, HUVEC, and L-O2) subsequent to 24-h incubation with KT-NE at varying drug concentrations. n = 8. Statistical significance was evaluated by an unpaired two-tailed t-test. f Time-dependent cellular uptake of DID-labeled KT-NE by (pre)adipocyte subgroups (3T3-L1 preadipocytes, Inducer I treated preadipocytes, Inducer II treated preadipocytes, and adipocytes) and normal somatic cell lines (C2C12, HACAT, HEK-293, HUVEC, and L-O2). Representative fluorescent micrographs of cellular uptake were systematically captured at 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 16 h, and 24 h, respectively. Scale bar = 100 μm. g Representative fluorescent images depicting partial co-location of DID-labeled KT-NE and lipid droplets within adipocytes following a 24-h incubation. Yellow triangles indicate representative co-location or partial co-location of DID-labeled nanoemulsions and BODIPY-dyed lipid droplets within adipocytes. Scale bar = 30 μm. All experiments were repeated three times independently, with similar results. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. All data was expressed as mean ± SD.