Issue 19, 2019

Enhancing singlet oxygen generation in semiconducting polymer nanoparticles through fluorescence resonance energy transfer for tumor treatment

Abstract

Photosensitizers (PSs) are of particular importance for efficient photodynamic therapy (PDT). Challenges for PSs simultaneously possessing strong light-absorbing ability, high 1O2 generation by effective intersystem crossing from the singlet to the triplet state, good water-solubility and excellent photostability still exist. Reported here are a new kind of dual-emissive semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (SPNs) containing fluorescent BODIPY derivatives and near-infrared (NIR) phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes. In the SPNs, the BODIPY units serve as the energy donors in the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) process for enhancing the light absorption of the SPNs. The NIR emissive iridium(III) complexes are chosen as the energy acceptors and efficient photosensitizers. The ionized semiconducting polymers can easily self-assemble to form hydrophilic nanoparticles and homogeneously disperse in aqueous solution. Meanwhile, the conjugated backbone of SPNs provides effective shielding for the two luminophores from photobleaching. Thus, an excellent overall performance of the SPN-based PSs has been realized and the high 1O2 yield (0.97) resulting from the synergistic effect of BODIPY units and iridium(III) complexes through the FRET process is among the best reported for PSs. In addition, owing to the phosphorescence quenching of iridium(III) complexes caused by 3O2, the SPNs can also be utilized for O2 mapping in vitro and in vivo, which assists in the evaluation of the PDT process and provides important instructions in early-stage cancer diagnosis.

Graphical abstract: Enhancing singlet oxygen generation in semiconducting polymer nanoparticles through fluorescence resonance energy transfer for tumor treatment

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
10 Dec 2018
Accepted
08 Apr 2019
First published
11 Apr 2019
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2019,10, 5085-5094

Enhancing singlet oxygen generation in semiconducting polymer nanoparticles through fluorescence resonance energy transfer for tumor treatment

J. Jiang, Y. Qian, Z. Xu, Z. Lv, P. Tao, M. Xie, S. Liu, W. Huang and Q. Zhao, Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 5085 DOI: 10.1039/C8SC05501G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements