Affiliation:
1. Light Industry and Chemical Engineering College Guangdong University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong China
2. Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Hong Kong China
3. School of Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Guangdong China
Abstract
AbstractLight‐mediated therapies such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) are considered emerging cancer treatment strategies. However, there are still lots of defect with common photosensitizers (PSs), such as short emission wavelength, weak photostability, poor cell permeability, and low PDT efficiency. Therefore, it is very important to develop high‐performance PSs. Recently, luminogens with aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics and red/near‐infrared (NIR) emissive have been reported as promising PSs for image‐guided cancer therapy, due to them being able to prevent autofluorescence in physiological environments, their enhanced fluorescence in the aggregated state, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Herein, we developed PSs named TBTCPM and MTBTCPM with donor–acceptor (D–A) structures, strong red/NIR, excellent targeting specificities to good cell permeability, and high photostability. Interestingly, both of them can efficiently generate ROS under white light irradiation and possess excellent killing effect on cancer cells. This study, thus, not only demonstrates applications in cell image‐guided PDT cancer therapy performances but also provides strategy for construction of AIEgens with long emission wavelengths.
Funder
National Outstanding Youth Science Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
Innovation and Technology Commission
Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality
Subject
Chemistry (miscellaneous),Biophysics