Dyeing fungi: amphotericin B based fluorescent probes for multiplexed imaging

Area of Science:

• Medical imaging
• Microbiology
• Drug discovery

Background:

• The antifungal polyene amphotericin B is a clinically significant drug.
• Distinguishing fungal infections from bacterial infections is crucial in clinical settings.
• Current diagnostic methods may lack specificity or speed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fluorescent probe for selective fungal imaging.
• To enable multiplexed identification of microbial species in co-cultures.
• To leverage the properties of amphotericin B for diagnostic applications.

Main Methods:

• Conjugation of the antifungal amphotericin B to fluorophores via its mycosamine and aglycon moieties.
• Utilizing a Cy5 conjugated probe for fluorescence imaging.
• Testing the probe in co-cultures of fungi with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Main Results:

• The Cy5 conjugated amphotericin B probe demonstrated selective labeling of fungi.
• The probe successfully distinguished fungi from bacteria in mixed microbial environments.
• Multiplexed imaging allowed for the identification of different microbial species within the co-culture.

Conclusions:

• Fluorescent conjugation of amphotericin B provides a selective imaging tool for fungi.
• This approach facilitates the differentiation of fungal and bacterial pathogens.
• The developed probe holds potential for improved diagnostics in mixed infections.