Small Molecular Fluorescent Probes: Application Progress of Specific Bacteria Detection and Antibacterial Phototherapy

Abstract

Bacterial infection is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and is easy to cause large-scale diseases. It is an urgent need to develop effective methods for the specific detection and treatment of bacterial infections. Recently, small molecular fluorescent probes, bridging the capability of imaging detection and sterilization, have attracted increasing attention. Fluorescence imaging assays have the benefit of being simple, specific, and fast, which is very advantageous in both in vitro and in vivo bacterial detection. Molecularly fluorophores for theranostics provide advantages of non-invasion, high specificity, and fewer side effects. In this review, we summarize the recent advances and design strategies of small molecular fluorescent probes for both targeted detection and treatment of bacteria. We hope that this review will provide guidance for the development of more effective fluorescent dyes in the future as well as encourage preclinical and clinical studies of phototherapymediated antimicrobial therapy.

Bacteria‐Based Living Probes: Preparation and the Applications in Bioimaging and Diagnosis

“…[20][21][22][23] Benefiting from the discovery of various imageable proteins and the advances of genetic engineering, plenty of engineered bacteria producing imageable signals have been constructed and provided foundation for their applications in bioimaging and diagnosis. [4,6] Tangney et al designed several strains, such as Bifidobacterium and Escherichia coli (E. coli), to carry the luxABCDE cassette via gene engineering for bioluminescence imaging. [23] These bacteria-based living probes could be used to co-localize and track bacteria in mouse tumor models using three dimensional (3D) diffuse optical tomography and micro-computed tomography (mCT).…”

“…[2,3] As well known, by virtue of their unique properties in biocompatibility, motility, editability, and specific site targeting ability, bacteria have been developed as versatile living probes for bioimaging, diagnosis, and therapy of different diseases, such as bacterial infections, cancers, and intestinal diseases. [4][5][6] Given their editable characteristic, bacteria can be equipped with various signal molecules both inside and outside via either genetic modification or surface decoration. [7] To obtain specificity, the engineered bacteria can be prepared by combining bacteria with signal molecules in different ways, including biological methods (such as genetic engineering and metabolic labeling), chemical modification (such as non-covalent bonding and covalent chemical conjugation), bacterial intracellular loading, and optical manipulation.…”

Synthesis of Bodipy-Tagged Galactoconjugates and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial Properties

“…Carbohydrates' natural widespread nature and capability of forming different kinds of chemical bonds with stereochemical differentiation expanded their use in the synthesis of luminescent probes and particularly fluorescent organic small molecule probes involved in biological investigations [6]. The rational design and feasibility of the synthesis of such probes, as well as their stable luminescence and high signal-tonoise ratio, make them an advantageous choice for in vivo imaging [7]. Additionally, carbohydrate conjugation helps to achieve low cytotoxicity and good cell permeability and targeting properties [8].…”