Aggregation-induced emission luminogens for highly effective microwave dynamic therapy

Abstract

Aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) exhibit efficient cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation capability and unique light-up features in the aggregated state, which have been well explored in image-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, the limited penetration depth of light in tissue severely hinders AIEgens as a candidate for primary or adjunctive therapy for clinical applications. Coincidentally, microwaves (MWs) show a distinct advantage for deeper penetration depth in tissues than light. Herein, for the first time, we report AIEgen-mediated microwave dynamic therapy (MWDT) for cancer treatment. We found that two AIEgens ( TPEPy-I and TPEPy-PF6 ) served as a new type of microwave (MW) sensitizers to produce ROS, including singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ), resulting in efficient destructions of cancer cells. The results of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and live/dead assays reveal that the two AIEgens when activated by MW irradiation can effectively kill cancer cells with average IC-50 values of 2.73 and 3.22 μM, respectively. Overall, the ability of the two AIEgens to be activated by MW not only overcomes the limitations of conventional PDT, but also helps to improve existing MW ablation therapy by reducing the MW dose required to achieve the same therapeutic outcome, thus reducing the occurrence of side-effects of MW radiation.

Dual Molecular Design toward a Lysosome-Tagged AIEgen and Heavy-Atom-Free Photosensitizers for Hypoxic Cancer Photodynamic Therapy

“…AIE luminogens (AIEgens) are typically nonemissive in a good solvent but are induced to emit by aggregation [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Due to the high brightness and photostability of their solutions, AIEgens have emerged as promising fluorescent probes for various biological applications [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. In particular, among previously reported AIEgens, several AIEgens show efficient photosensitizing ability in the aggregated state, which are beneficial to develop imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) for cancer treatment [ 11 ].…”

Self-Matrix N-Doped Room Temperature Phosphorescent Carbon Dots Triggered by Visible and Ultraviolet Light Dual Modes

“…Therefore, the self-matrix structure effectively inhibits the non-radiative transition by blocking the movement of the polymer chain, and can also strongly prevent oxygen quenching, presenting RTP at room temperature. In addition, the carbon dots can find applications in sensing [63][64][65], photodynamic activation on cancer treatment [66][67][68] and imaging [69][70][71], which are the topics for our research.…”

Construction of Novel Nanocomposites (Cu-MOF/GOD@HA) for Chemodynamic Therapy

“…MTT experiments were used to evaluate the lethality of Cu-MOF, Cu-MOF/GOD and Cu-MOF/GOD@HA [37][38][39][40]. The viabilities of MCF-7 cells treated with Cu-MOF, Cu-MOF/GOD and Cu-MOF/GOD@HA at several concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 70, 100 µg mL -1 ) levels were calculated, as illustrated in Figure 4A.…”