An efficient fluorescence sensor for nitroreductase selective imaging based on intramolecular photoinduced electron...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Biology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Bacterial infections pose significant public health challenges, necessitating rapid and accurate diagnostic tools.
• Enzyme-activated fluorogenic probes offer a sensitive approach for detecting bacterial activity.
• Nitroreductase (NTR) is a key enzyme in bacterial metabolism, making it a potential diagnostic target.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fluorescent sensor for the selective and sensitive detection of nitroreductase (NTR) activity.
• To demonstrate the probe's utility in visualizing NTR in vitro and in living bacterial pathogens.
• To explore the potential of this sensor for rapid, noninvasive diagnosis of bacterial infections.

Main Methods:

• Design and synthesis of a cyanine fluorophore-based sensor.
• Utilizing photoinduced electron transfer (PET) for fluorescence quenching and activation.
• Catalytic reduction by NTR to trigger a significant fluorescence response.
• In vitro and in vivo imaging of NTR activity in bacterial pathogens.

Main Results:

• The developed sensor exhibited a rapid, 10-fold increase in fluorescence upon catalytic reduction by NTR.
• High selectivity and sensitivity were achieved for NTR detection.
• Successful visualization of NTR activity in both cell-free systems and live bacterial pathogens.
• The probe demonstrated potential for distinguishing between bacterial types based on NTR activity.

Conclusions:

• A novel, enzyme-activated fluorescent probe for NTR detection has been successfully developed.
• The probe enables rapid, selective, and sensitive visualization of NTR activity in bacterial pathogens.
• This technology holds significant promise for noninvasive diagnosis of bacterial infections and guiding antimicrobial therapy.