Photoactivatable o -Hydroxycinnamic Platforms for Bioimaging and Therapeutic Release.

Photoactivatable or photoremovable protecting groups (PPGs) have become a powerful material and gained enormous interest in the field of biomedical applications. PPGs have been utilized for noninvasive, on-demand, spatio-temporal controlled release of biological effectors by irradiation with light to induce biochemical function. Over the past few years, o -hydroxycinnamate ( o HC)-based PPGs have received considerable attention for the release of molecules of interest by either UV (one-photon) or near-IR (two-photon) irradiation. In this miniperspective, we have summarized the development of o HC PPGs for bioimaging and the controlled release of therapeutics, bioactive volatiles and other payloads with real-time monitoring. In addition, several future perspectives of o HC systems have been highlighted at the end of this miniperspective.