Gu H, Liu W, Sun W, Du J, Fan J, Peng X. Single-molecule photosensitizers for NIR-II fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging guided precise anticancer phototherapy.
Chem Sci 2022;
13:9719-9726. [PMID:
36091889 PMCID:
PMC9400679 DOI:
10.1039/d2sc02879d]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
It is ideal yet challenging to achieve precise tumor targeting and high-quality imaging guided combined photodynamic and photothermal therapy (PDT and PTT). In this study, we synthesized a series of D-π-A-type single-molecule photosensitizers (CyE-TT, CyQN-TT, and CyQN-BTT) based on quaternized 1,1,2-trimethyl-1H-benz[e]indoles as acceptors by introducing π-bridges to elongate their emission wavelength and triphenylamine as a donor to construct a twisted molecular conformation. We found that the 1O2 generation ability and the photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) are directly correlated with the π-bridge between donors and acceptors in these molecules. When a 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole group as a π-bridge was introduced into CyQN-BTT, the singlet oxygen yield enhanced to 27.1%, PCE to 37.8%, and the emission wavelength was red-shifted to near-infrared II (NIR-II). Importantly, double-cationic CyQN-BTT displays structure-inherent cancer cell targeting ability instead of targeting normal cells. Consequently, relying on NIR-II fluorescence imaging (NIR-II FLI) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) guided PDT and PTT, CyQN-BTT can accurately locate solid tumors in mice and effectively eliminate them with good biocompatibility and biosafety to normal tissues. This study provides insights into the design and development of a tumor-specific targeting multifunctional photosensitizer for precise cancer phototherapy.
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