Fluorescent antibiotics for real-time tracking of pathogenic bacteria

Abstract

The harm of pathogenic bacteria to humans has promoted extensive research on physiological processes of pathogens, such as the mechanism of bacterial infection, antibiotic mode of action, and bacterial antimicrobial resistance. Most of these processes can be better investigated by timely tracking of fluorophore-derived antibiotics in living cells. In this paper, we will review the recent development of fluorescent antibiotics featuring the conjugation with various fluorophores, and focus on their applications in fluorescent imaging and real-time detection for various physiological processes of bacteria in vivo.

Imaging Commensal Microbiota and Pathogenic Bacteria in the Gut

“…Some antibiotics function by directly binding to a specific bacterial surface structure, thus providing the opportunity to use these drugs as staining probes for bacteria. Fluorescently derivatized antibiotics have been utilized in tracking different bacterial species both in vitro and in vivo . In this section, we mainly focus on development in labeling gut microbiota samples.…”

“…Fluorescently derivatized antibiotics have been utilized in tracking different bacterial species both in vitro and in vivo. 19 In this section, we mainly focus on development in labeling gut microbiota samples. As a widely used Gram-positive-specific antibiotic, vancomycin (Vanco) inhibits bacterial cell wall construction by binding to the D-Ala-D-Ala motif in peptidoglycan (PGN) with high affinity and specificity.…”

Red-Shifted Environmental Fluorophores and Their Use for the Detection of Gram-Negative Bacteria

“…Considerable potential lies in the translation of bacterial imaging probes into clinical practice, but their contribution is still scarce in practice [4]. Several review papers have covered the topic of fluorescent antibiotic-based probes [5][6][7] and their potential use in the area of antimicrobial resistance. In this regard, such pathogen-binding probes have the potential to detect bacterial infections, elucidate the mode of action of the antimicrobial agents and resistance mechanisms, and assess drug susceptibilities etc.…”

Harnessing Fluorescent Moenomycin A Antibiotics for Bacterial Cell Wall Imaging Studies

“…Several fluorescent antibiotics have been reported [11] . An example is the β‐lactam antibiotics; their multiple targets, including peptidoglycan cross‐cross‐linking enzymes (e. g. transpeptidases), class C low molecular weight PBP (e. g., d,d ‐carboxypeptidases), and β‐lactamases, make them unsuitable for specific labeling of a PGN enzyme [12] .…”