Nowadays,
aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) with
reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating ability have been used as
photosensitizers for imaging guided photodynamic therapy (PDT). To
achieve enhanced antitumor outcomes, combining AIEgens-based PDT with
chemotherapy is an efficient strategy. However, the therapeutic efficiency
is hampered by the limited cellular uptake efficiency and the appropriate
light irradiation occasion. In this paper, a self-guiding polymeric
micelle (TB@PMPT) composed of two AIE photosensitizers and a reduction-sensitive
paclitaxel prodrug (PTX-SS-N3) was established for enhanced
chemo-photodynamic therapy by a dual-stage light irradiation strategy.
When the micelles were accumulated in tumor tissues, the first light
irradiation (L1, 6 min) was utilized to facilitate cellular
uptake by “photochemical internalization” (PCI). Then,
the intracellular glutathione (GSH) would induce the PTX release,
micelles disassembly and the aggregation state change of AIEgens.
The fluorescence signal change of two AIEgens-based ratiometric fluorescent
probe could not only precisely guide the second light irradiation
(L2, 18 min) for sufficient ROS production, but also monitor
the nonfluorescent drug PTX release in turn. Both in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrated that the dual-stage
light irradiation strategy employed for TB@PMPT micelles exhibited
a superior therapeutic effect over only 24 min continuous light irradiation.