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Updated: Aug 28, 2026

Facile Preparation and Photoactivation of Prodrug-Dye Nanoassemblies
Published on: February 17, 2023
Spatiotemporally Controlled Prodrug Release From Light-Triggered Azo-Bond-Cleaved BODIPY Nanoplatform for Trimodal
Jiaqi Wang1, Jie Zhang2, Dongping Xu1
1Institute For Strategic Materials and Components, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang, China.
Abstract:
Chemotherapy (CT) suffers from poor selectivity and systemic toxicity, while photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) are inherently limited by tumor hypoxia and thermoresistance. Herein, we develop a trimodal synergistic nanoplatform (PDM-BDP NPs) for ovarian cancer treatment by integrating PDT, mild PTT (mPTT), and CT into a single azo-bond-linked prodrug system. Upon 808 nm laser irradiation, PDM-BDP NPs generate reactive oxygen species and mild hyperthermia, while simultaneously triggering azo-bond cleavage to release the chemotherapeutic agent phenylenediamine mustard (PDM) and transform into NH2-BDP, which retains photothermal activity for sustained thermal output. PDM-BDP NPs exhibit efficient cellular uptake, predominant mitochondrial co-localization, and potent photocytotoxicity against A2780 cells with low dark toxicity. Transcriptomics reveals multi-target reprogramming involving proteotoxic stress, DNA damage, and TNF/MAPK activation. Laser-activated PDM-BDP NPs achieve subtotal tumor ablation with excellent biocompatibility. This trimodal synergistic strategy provides a promising approach for precise ovarian cancer therapy.
