A thermally activated delayed fluorescence photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy of oral squamous cell carcinoma under low laser intensity. Issue 28 (29th June 2021) - Hu, Shiqi
Abstract : A novel thermally activated delayed fluorescence photosensitizer was designed for oral squamous cell carcinoma treatment, which effectively inhibited tumor growth under low intensity light with minimal damage to normal tissues. Abstract : In this report, a new thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecule [2-(4-triphenylvinyl-phenyl)-anthraquinone (TPE-AQ)] was synthesized. This nanomaterial has satisfactory photostability. Through In vitro analysis, it was found that these TADF nanoparticles (NPs) targeted lysosomes in oral cancer cells. ROS were released under irradiation with a 450-nm laser, and the growth of xenograft tumors in mouse models was inhibited in vivo . More interestingly, radiation exposure caused little damage to normal tissues due to the low irradiation intensity (mA) used in the photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment of oral cancer. Therefore, these TADF NPs provide new possibilities for the development of new PDT drugs for biomedical applications. In future work, possible functional modifications of TADF NPs for increased potency in clinical applications will be addressed.