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Abstract
Tumor microenvironment-activatable photosensitizers have gained significant attention for cancer theranostics. Considering the hypoxic environment of solid tumors, activatable phototheranostic agents with type I PDT are desired to obtain improved cancer treatment efficiency. Herein, we report a simple, effective and multifunctional Bodipy photosensitizer for tumor imaging and type I/II photodynamic therapy. The photosensitizer featuring a methylphenylboronic acid pinacol ester group at the meso-position of Bodipy specifically responds to tumor-abundant H2O2. Its photophysical properties were characterized using steady-state and time-resolved transient optical spectroscopies. The fluorescence (ΦF = 0.09%) and singlet oxygen efficacy (ΦΔ = 10.2%) of the Bodipy units were suppressed in the caged dyads but significantly enhanced (ΦF = 0.72%, ΦΔ = 20.3%) upon H2O2 activation. Fluorescence emission spectroscopy and continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy confirmed that the Bodipy photosensitizer generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) via both electron transfer-mediated type I and energy transfer-mediated type II mechanisms. In vitro experiments demonstrated rapid internalization into tumor cells, enhanced brightness stimulated by tumor microenvironments, and tumor cell death (phototoxicity, IC50 = 0.5 μM). In vivo fluorescence imaging indicated preferential accumulation of this Bodipy photosensitizer in tumor sites, followed by decaging by tumor-abundant H2O2, further elevating the signal-to-background ratio (SBR) of imaging. Besides outstanding performance in tumor imaging, a prominent inhibition of tumor growth was observed. Given its simple molecular skeleton, this Bodipy photosensitizer is a competitive candidate for cancer theranostics.
This article is part of the themed collections: Materials Chemistry of Fluorescence Bioimaging and Journal of Materials Chemistry B HOT Papers
Article information
DOI https://doi.org/10.1039/D4TB01650E
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2024,12, 11165-11171
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