Premium
Enzyme‐Triggered Disassembly of Perylene Monoimide‐based Nanoclusters for Activatable and Deep Photodynamic Therapy
Author(s) -
Cai Yang,
Ni Dongqi,
Cheng Wenyu,
Ji Chendong,
Wang Yaling,
Müllen Klaus,
Su Zhiqiang,
Liu Ying,
Chen Chunying,
Yin Meizhen
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.202001107
Subject(s) - photosensitizer , perylene , photodynamic therapy , singlet oxygen , nanoclusters , photochemistry , in vivo , fluorescence , chemistry , phthalocyanine , materials science , biophysics , molecule , organic chemistry , biology , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , quantum mechanics , oxygen
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) exhibits great potential for cancer therapy, but still suffers from nonspecific photosensitivity and poor penetration of photosensitizer. Herein, a smart perylene monoimide‐based nanocluster capable of enzyme‐triggered disassembly is reported as an activatable and deeply penetrable photosensitizer. A novel carboxylesterase (CE)‐responsive tetrachloroperylene monoimide (P1) was synthesized and assembled with folate‐decorated albumins into a nanocluster ( FHP ) with a diameter of circa 100 nm. Once P1 is hydrolyzed by the tumor‐specific CE, FHP disassembles into ultrasmall nanoparticles (ca. 10 nm), facilitating the deep tumor penetration of FHP . Furthermore, such enzyme‐triggered disassembly of FHP leads to enhanced fluorescence intensity (ca. 8‐fold) and elevated singlet oxygen generation ability (ca. 4‐fold), enabling in situ near‐infrared fluorescence imaging and promoted PDT. FHP permits remarkable tumor inhibition in vivo with minimal side effects through imaging‐guided, activatable, and deep PDT. This work confirms that this cascaded multifunctional control through enzyme‐triggered molecular disassembly is an effective strategy for precise cancer theranostics.