ACS Applied Nano Materials · 2021 · 27 citations · 35 references
PharmacyCancer BiologyOncologyBiomedical OpticsBiophotonicsDrug DeliveryNanocarriers For TherapeuticsNanomaterials For Drug DeliveryNanomedicineNanoparticle DesignPhotodynamic TherapyTheranostic NanoparticlesCancer Photodynamic TherapyIntrinsic PropertiesMultifunctional NanoparticlesNanoparticle AggregationPhotodynamic Therapy NanomaterialsPhotophysical MechanismsPhotosensitizersStokes Shift
Photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer have been widely investigated over the past decades. However, the notorious aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect limits their further biological applications. In this work, we have designed and reported a photosensitizer BOPHY-2TPA. The formed photosensitizer BOPHY-2TPA was a donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) structure with the BOPHY as an acceptor core and two triphenylamine (TPAs) as the electron donor units. The BOPHY-2TPA exhibited a large Stokes shift and excellent photoinduced 1O2 generation capabilities. Besides, the twisted structure of TPAs endowed the BOPHY-2TPA with intrinsic AIE properties, which effectively avoided the ACQ effect. Because of these prominent features, the BOPHY-2TPA aggregates encapsulated with biocompatible Pluronic P123 in aqueous solution showed high PDT antitumor efficiency.
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