Triphenylphosphonium-functionalized dimeric BODIPY-based nanoparticles for mitochondria-targeting photodynamic therapy

Nanoscale. 2024 May 16;16(19):9462-9475. doi: 10.1039/d4nr00694a.

Abstract

The dimerization of boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moieties is an appealing molecular design approach for developing heavy-atom-free triplet photosensitizers (PSs). However, BODIPY dimer-based PSs generally lack target specificity, which limits their clinical use for photodynamic therapy. This study reports the synthesis of two mitochondria-targeting triphenylphosphonium (TPP)-functionalized meso-β directly linked BODIPY dimers (BTPP and BeTPP). Both BODIPY dimers exhibited solvent-polarity-dependent singlet oxygen (1O2) quantum yields, with maximum values of 0.84 and 0.55 for BTPP and BeTPP, respectively, in tetrahydrofuran. The compact orthogonal geometry of the BODIPY dimers facilitated the generation of triplet excited states via photoinduced charge separation (CS) and subsequent spin-orbit charge-transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) processes and their rates were dependent on the energetic configuration between the frontier molecular orbitals of the two BODIPY subunits. The as-synthesized compounds were amphiphilic and hence formed stable nanoparticles (∼36 nm in diameter) in aqueous solutions, with a zeta potential of ∼33 mV beneficial for mitochondrial targeting. In vitro experiments with MCF-7 and HeLa cancer cells indicated the effective localization of BTPP and BeTPP within cancer-cell mitochondria. Under light irradiation, BTPP and BeTPP exhibited robust photo-induced therapeutic effects in both cell lines, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of ∼30 and ∼55 nM, respectively.

MeSH terms

  • Boron Compounds* / chemistry
  • Boron Compounds* / pharmacology
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Dimerization
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Mitochondria* / drug effects
  • Mitochondria* / metabolism
  • Nanoparticles* / chemistry
  • Organophosphorus Compounds* / chemistry
  • Organophosphorus Compounds* / pharmacology
  • Photochemotherapy*
  • Photosensitizing Agents* / chemistry
  • Photosensitizing Agents* / pharmacology
  • Singlet Oxygen* / chemistry
  • Singlet Oxygen* / metabolism

Substances

  • 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene
  • triphenylphosphonium