{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T21:10:14Z","timestamp":1770066614857,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]],"date-time":"2026-01-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769817600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pharmaceutics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Hypericin is a natural photosensitizer with promising antifungal potential, but its uptake kinetics in Candida (C.) albicans are not well defined. Objective: To characterize the time-dependent uptake of hypericin by C. albicans in vitro using fluorescence microscopy and quantitative image analysis. Methods: C. albicans ATCC 90028 was standardized to 0.5 McFarland and incubated with hypericin dissolved in DMSO. Samples were illuminated with an LED system tuned near 550 nm and imaged using a CCD fluorescence microscope with emission recorded above \u2248600 nm. Images were analyzed in ImageJ, using a control-based threshold and percentage area (the percentage of pixels above the threshold in the whole field) as a fluorescence measure. Time points were 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 min, plus a separate dark-only series at 35\u201345 min. Data from three experiments were evaluated by ANOVA. Results: Fluorescence increased rapidly and showed a nonlinear, biphasic profile under light, with local maxima around 5\u20137 and 15\u201330 min. Dark-only samples at 35\u201345 min had a lower %Area and lacked a clear biphasic pattern. Conclusions: Hypericin uptake by C. albicans is dynamic, nonlinear, and light-dependent. These kinetics should be considered when designing hypericin-based antifungal photodynamic therapy protocols.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics18020189","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T09:48:08Z","timestamp":1770025688000},"page":"189","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Analysis of the Uptake of Hypericin by Candida albicans Yeast Cells Using Fluorescence Methods and Comparison of the Dynamics of This Process over Time"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Rados\u0142aw","family":"Turski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Periodontal and Oral Mucosa Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-3173-9389","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jakub","family":"Fiegler-Rudol","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Periodontal and Oral Mucosa Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hanna","family":"H\u00fcpsch-Marzec","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Periodontal and Oral Mucosa Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8732-251X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dariusz","family":"Skaba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Periodontal and Oral Mucosa Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5673-7413","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rafa\u0142","family":"Wiench","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Periodontal and Oral Mucosa Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 40-055 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7870","DOI":"10.1021\/j100132a013","article-title":"Excited-state properties of hypericin: Electronic spectra and fluorescence decay kinetics","volume":"97","author":"Yamazaki","year":"1993","journal-title":"J. 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