Hydrogen peroxide enhanced photoinactivation of Candida albicans by a novel boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivative

Abstract

Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) has received increasing attention as a promising approach to combat Candida albicans infections. This study aimed to evaluate the synergistic effect of a new BODIPY (4,4-difluoro-boradiazaindacene) derivative and hydrogen peroxide on C. albicans. BDP-4L in combination with H 2 O 2 demonstrated enhanced photokilling efficacy. In suspended cultures of C. albicans, the maximum decrease was 6.20 log and 2.56 log for PDI using BDP-4L (2.5 μM) with or without H 2 O 2 , respectively. For mature C. albicans biofilms, 20 μM BDP-4L plus H 2 O 2 eradicated C. albicans, causing an over 6.7 log count reduction in biofilm-associated cells, while only a reduction of ~ 1 log count was observed when H 2 O 2 was omitted. Scanning electron microscopy analysis and LIVE/DEAD assays suggested that PDI using BDP-4L plus H 2 O 2 induced more damage to the cell membrane. Correspondingly, amplification of nucleic acids release was observed in biofilms treated with the combined PDI. Additionally, we also discovered that the addition of hydrogen peroxide potentiated the generation of 1 O 2 in PDI using the singlet oxygen sensor green probe. Collectively, BDP-4L combined with H 2 O 2 presents a promising approach in the treatment of C. albicans infections.