Three-Photon AIE Pt(II) Complexes as Cysteine-Targeting Theranostic Agents for Tumor Imaging and Chemotherapy

Herein, we have synthesized a series of three-photon fluorescent Pt(II) complexes targeting a tumor-associated biothiol, cysteine (Cys), which allows it to be detected without any interference from other intracellular proteins. We focused on how to significantly improve the fluorescence response of Cys via regulating the recognition units in probes. The reaction of K₂PtCl₄ with L-CH or L-COOEt in DMSO solution gave Lyso-Pt-CH and Lyso-Pt-COOEt, respectively, which present four-coordinated square-planar geometries in mononuclear structures. Lyso-Pt-CH consists of a Cys aptamer labeled with typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics, which shows strong three-photon absorption cross section (3PA) only in the presence of Cys. It was found that Lyso-Pt-CH displayed a perfect signal-to-noise ratio for imaging lysosomes and for rapid detection of Cys. Using Lyso-Pt-CH, Cys-related cellular mechanisms were proposed. We confirm that cystine (Cyss) could be absorbed in cells through cystine/glutamate antiporters (system x_c^-) and is then converted to Cys under the effect of enzymes. All of these suggest that Lyso-Pt-CH might be a potential candidate as a simple and straightforward biomarker of lysosome-related Cys in vitro. Lyso-Pt-CH can effectively identify tumor tissues with excessive levels of Cys. Lyso-Pt-CH also showed excellent antitumor activity than cisplatin. This work provides a novel strategy for the rational design of controllably activated and Cys-targeted Pt(II) anticancer prodrugs for clinical diagnosis and treatment.