Microbial metabolites diversity and their potential as molecular template for the discovery of new fluorescent and radiopharmaceutical probes

Abstract

Microbial metabolites have tremendous roles on human life, with a wide variety of applications in pharmaceutical sciences. Given their ability to interact with a diverse array of biological macromolecules-typically in a highly selective fashion, bioactive compounds from microbes may also serve as an advantageous molecular template for the development of sensitive and selective molecular probes, such as fluorescent and radiopharmaceutical probes. Despite numerous chemical probes have made significant contributions in clinical settings, there were only a few fluorescent and radiopharmaceutical probes derived from microbial metabolites available until recently. Those probes are being investigated for their potential to diagnose diseases associated with biomarkers, detect overexpression of proteins, and navigate the presence of pathogens, most notably bacterial and fungal infections. This review summarizes recent advances in the development of molecular probes derived from microbial metabolites, discusses selected applications, and identifies key opportunities.