Dual Molecular Design toward a Lysosome-Tagged AIEgen and Heavy-Atom-Free Photosensitizers for Hypoxic Cancer Photodynamic Therapy
Thanh Chung Pham,
Thi Thuy Hang Hoang,
Yeonghwan Choi,
Seongman Lee,
Sang-Woo Joo,
Gun Kim,
Dongwon Kim,
Ok-Sang Jung,
Songyi Lee
Affiliations
Thanh Chung Pham
Institute for Tropical Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi 11300, Vietnam
Thi Thuy Hang Hoang
Department of Information Communication, Materials, and Chemistry Convergence Technology, Soongsil University, Seoul 06978, Korea
Yeonghwan Choi
Industry 4.0 Convergence Bionics Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Korea
Seongman Lee
Department of Chemistry, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Korea
Sang-Woo Joo
Department of Information Communication, Materials, and Chemistry Convergence Technology, Soongsil University, Seoul 06978, Korea
Gun Kim
Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Science and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Dongwon Kim
Department of Chemistry, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Ok-Sang Jung
Department of Chemistry, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Songyi Lee
Industry 4.0 Convergence Bionics Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Korea
To date, a large number of photosensitizers (PS) have introduced heavy atoms to improve the ISC process and 1O2 generation. However, they often show low efficiency in hypoxic conditions, aggregate states, and turn-off PDT in the dark. Besides that, the toxicity of heavy metals is also concerned. Therefore, we developed lysosome-targeted heavy-metal-free PS (3S and 4S) based on thionated naphthalimide for hypoxic cancer photodynamic therapy (PDT), not only under white light but also in the dark via thermal-induced 1O2 generation. AIEgen (3O and 4O) were prepared for studying the PDT action of PSs (3S and 4S) in lysosome and aggregate state. We also examined the photophysical properties of AIEgen (3O and 4O) and PS (3S and 4S) by UV–vis absorption, fluorescent emission spectra, and theoretical calculations.
