Unique Fluorescent Imaging Probe for Bacterial Surface Localization and Resistant Enzyme Imaging

Emergence of antibiotic bacterial resistance has caused serious clinical issues worldwide due to increasingly difficult treatment. Development of a specific approach for selective visualization of resistant bacteria will be highly significant for clinical investigations to promote timely diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections. In this article, we present an effective method that not only is able to selectively recognize drug resistant AmpC β-lactamases enzyme but, more importantly, is able to interact with bacterial cell wall components, resulting in a desired localization effect on the bacterial surface. A unique and specific enzyme-responsive cephalosporin probe (DFD-1) has been developed for the selective recognition of resistance bacteria AmpC β-lactamase, by employing fluorescence resonance energy transfer with an “off–on” bioimaging. To achieve the desired localization, a lipid–azide conjugate (LA-12) was utilized to facilitate its penetration into the bacterial surface, followed by copper-...