Hydrogen peroxide enhanced photoinactivation of Candida albicans by a novel boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivative

• DOI: 10.1007/s43630-023-00408-2
• Publication Date: 2023-04-06T12:05:58Z
• Authors: Mengran Wang; Kedan Gu; Miyang Wan; Lu Gan; Jingtao Chen; Weili Zhao; Hang Shi; Jiyang Li
• Keywords: BODIPY; Derivative (finance)

Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) has received increasing attention as a promising approach to combat Candida albicans infections. This study aimed to evaluate the synergistic effect of a new BODIPY (4,4-difluoro-boradiazaindacene) derivative and hydrogen peroxide on C. albicans. BDP-4L in combination with H2O2 demonstrated enhanced photokilling efficacy. In suspended cultures of C. albicans, the maximum decrease was 6.20 log and 2.56 log for PDI using BDP-4L (2.5 μM) with or without H2O2, respectively. For mature C. albicans biofilms, 20 μM BDP-4L plus H2O2 eradicated C. albicans, causing an over 6.7 log count reduction in biofilm-associated cells, while only a reduction of ~ 1 log count was observed when H2O2 was omitted. Scanning electron microscopy analysis and LIVE/DEAD assays suggested that PDI using BDP-4L plus H2O2 induced more damage to the cell membrane. Correspondingly, amplification of nucleic acids release was observed in biofilms treated with the combined PDI. Additionally, we also discovered that the addition of hydrogen peroxide potentiated the generation of 1O2 in PDI using the singlet oxygen sensor green probe. Collectively, BDP-4L combined with H2O2 presents a promising approach in the treatment of C. albicans infections.