D-A-D organic fluorescent probes for NIR-II fluorescence imaging and efficient photothermal therapy of breast cancer

Biomater Sci. 2024 Feb 27;12(5):1320-1331. doi: 10.1039/d3bm01604h.

Abstract

Near-infrared second region (NIR-II) fluorescent probes are used in the diagnosis of early cancer due to their high tissue penetration. However, there are still few reports on organic small molecule fluorescent probes with NIR-II fluorescence imaging (NIR-II FI) combined with efficient photothermal therapy (PTT). In this study, planar cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT) was incorporated into the twisted structural skeleton (D-A-D), and the strong acceptor TTQ molecule (A) and the donor triphenylamine (D) were introduced to synthesize an organic small molecule (TCT) with enhanced NIR-II fluorescence emission performance. To improve the hydrophilicity of TCT molecules, we used the nanoprecipitation method to coat DSPE-mPEG2000 on the TCT molecules and obtained nanoparticles (TCT-NPs) with a strong absorption band, good water dispersibility, and NIR-II FI ability, which realized NIR-II FI-guided PTT for breast cancer tumors. Due to their effective near-infrared absorption, TCT-NPs exhibit high photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 40.1%) under 660 nm laser irradiation, making them a photothermal therapeutic agent with good performance. Therefore, TCT-NPs have the potential to diagnose, eliminate, and monitor the diffusion of cancer.

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
  • Breast Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Female
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Nanoparticles* / chemistry
  • Optical Imaging
  • Phototherapy / methods
  • Photothermal Therapy

Substances

  • Fluorescent Dyes