Aggregation-induced emission of TTCPy-3: A novel approach for eradicating Nocardia seriolae infections in aquatic fishes

• DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116208
• Publication Date: 2024-03-11T16:33:14Z
• Authors: Zhigang Liu; Junling Zhang; Xiaona Ma; Miao Wang; Lijin Jiang; Meiyan Zhang; Maixin Lu; Ouqin Chang; Jianmeng Cao; Xiaoli Ke; Mengmeng Yi

Aquatic fishes are threatened by the strong pathogenic bacterium Nocardia seriolae, which challenges the current prevention and treatment approaches. This study introduces luminogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) as an innovative and non-antibiotic therapy for N. seriolae. Specifically, the AIE photosensitizer, TTCPy-3 is employed against N. seriolae. We evaluated the antibacterial activity of TTCPy-3 and investigated the killing mechanism against N. seriolae, emphasizing its ability to aggregate within the bacterium and produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). TTCPy-3 could effectively aggregate in N. seriolae, generate ROS, and perform real-time imaging of the bacteria. A bactericidal efficiency of 100% was observed while concentrations exceeding 4 μM in the presence of white light irradiation for 10 min. In vivo, evaluation on zebrafish (Danio rerio) confirmed the superior therapeutic efficacy induced by TTCPy-3 to fight against N. seriolae infections. TTCPy-3 offers a promising strategy for treating nocardiosis of fish, paving the way for alternative treatments beyond traditional antibiotics and potentially addressing antibiotic resistance.