A simple mitochondrial targeting AIEgen for image-guided two-photon excited photodynamic therapy
Meijuan Jiang1, Ryan T K Kwok, Xuesong Li
1Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Institute for Advanced Study, Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong. tangbenz@ust.hk.
Abstract:
Two-photon excited photodynamic therapy (TP-PDT) is not only able to offer deeper penetration depth but also much more precise 3D treatment than traditional one-photon excited PDT. However, the achievement of TP-PDT requires photosensitizers with large two-photon absorption cross sections, efficient generation of reactive oxygen species, and bright two-photon fluorescence. In this work, we present a simple AIE luminogen (AIEgen), IQ-TPA, with mitochondrial targeting and susceptible two-photon excitation for image-guided photodynamic therapy in cancer cells. This feasibility of utilizing small molecular multifunctional AIEgens for TP-PDT was demonstrated together with the merits of tiny size, good cell permeability, low dark cytotoxicity and easy synthesis, showing great potential for the development of future theranostic systems.
