PUBLICATION

Endoplasmic reticulum targeted photosensitizer with high photostability and dual ROS generation for breast cancer PDT via apoptosis and pyroptosis

Authors
Shang, W., Yang, C., Sun, L., Wang, S., Xu, Y., Tang, B.Z., Su, H.
ID
ZDB-PUB-260410-17
Date
2026
Source
Materials today. Bio   38: 103066 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
Cell apoptosis, Cell pyroptosis, Endoplasmic reticulum-targeted, Immunogenic cell death, Phototherapy, Two-photon imaging
MeSH Terms
none
PubMed
41960156 Full text @ Mater Today Bio
Abstract
In tumor photodynamic therapy, the development of theranostic probes with favorable targeting capability, biocompatibility, and high photosensitizing activity is essential for enhancing therapeutic precision and efficacy. However, most existing probes are limited by insufficient targeting and an imbalance between phototoxicity and biosafety. In this study, we synthesized a biocompatible luminogen (compound 3), which can be applied to pH sensing, in vivo non-invasive imaging, and tumor photodynamic therapy. It exhibited excellent biocompatibility, specificity to the endoplasmic reticulum, photostability, and long-term imaging ability owing to high photostability in vitro and high tissue penetration in vivo. Furthermore, compound 3 could rapidly infiltrate living zebrafish embryos through the eggshell and penetrate the deeper layers. Moreover, compound 3 exhibits excellent imaging performance under two-photon excitation. Finally, compound 3 kills cancer cells by inducing apoptosis, pyroptosis, and immunogenic cell death under low-power white light irradiation. In the in vivo experiments, tumor tissues were eliminated with only one dose of photodynamic therapy treatment, positioning it an ideal photosensitizer candidate for photodynamic therapy.
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Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
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