A smart cysteine-activated and heavy-atom-free nano-photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy to treat cancers.

Shengze SuXingcan LiQian AnTao LiangYanying WangHongping DengXiaoxing XiongWing-Leung WongHuijuan ZhangChunya Li

Published in: Chemical communications (Cambridge, England) (2024)

A smart and heavy-atom-free photoinactive nano-photosensitizer capable of being activated by cysteine at the tumor site to generate highly photoactive nano-photosensitizers that show strong NIR absorption and fluorescence with a good singlet oxygen quantum yield (16.8%) for photodynamic therapy is reported.

Keyphrases

photodynamic therapy
molecular dynamics
fluorescence imaging
energy transfer
fluorescent probe
living cells
single molecule
electron transfer
drug delivery