Enzyme activatable photodynamic therapy agents targeting melanoma.

Cell-selective activity regulation of therapeutics is necessary for efficient personalized treatments with minimal off-target effects. Here, the first example of a structurally simple, pyridinium BODIPY-based, tyrosinase activatable photosensitizer is developed and the cytotoxic singlet oxygen generation capacity is analysed. Singlet oxygen quantum yields of active and inactive forms are determined to be 0.64 and 0.02, respectively. Selective photo-induced cell death in mouse melanoma cells over mammary and hepatocellular carcinoma proved the potential of the photosensitizer in tissue-selective therapies.