Zwitterionic AIEgens: Rational Molecular Design for NIR‐II Fluorescence Imaging‐Guided Synergistic Phototherapy

Abstract

Supporting information for this article is given via a link at the end of the document.

Aggregation‐Induced Emission Nanoprobes Working in the NIR‐II Region: From Material Design to Fluorescence Imaging and Phototherapy

“…Previous studies have demonstrated two design principles for NIR‐activated AIE: 1) integration of strong electron donor (D) and acceptor (A) units into the conjugated system and 2) the prolongation of the effective conjugated length between these units. [ 66,73,74 ] The strong D–A pair in AIE molecules enables efficient electron transfer under low‐energy excitation, thus leading to reduced electronic bandgaps and bathochromic absorption/emission. The long conjugation normally results in low bandgap energy.…”

“…In recent attempts, NIR‐II‐emitting AIE nanoprobes have been used to determine the therapeutic time interval (the optimal time for conducting therapy after drug intake) for efficient cancer therapy. Wang's group [ 66,73,74 ] prepared and used three types of AIE nanoprobes for multimodal therapy. According to the NIR‐II fluorescence images, the optimal therapeutic window was found to be between 1 and 12 h post injection.…”

“…e) Chemical structure of AIE molecules reported by Wang's group and the nanoprobes formulation. Adapted with permission: TSSAM [ 74 ] Copyright 2020, American Chemical Society; BITT [ 73 ] Copyright 2020, Wiley‐VCH; TSSI [ 44 ] Copyright 2020, Wiley‐VCH. f) Fluorescence spectra and g) photothermal response of these three AIE nanoprobes (TSSAM: 0.2 m m , 660 nm, 0.3 W cm −2 ; TSSI: 0.1 m m , 660 nm, 0.3 W cm −2 ; BITT: 0.3 m m , 660 nm, 0.3 W cm −2 ).…”

“…Therefore, AIE nanoprobes with NIR excitation are naturally beneficial for fluorescence image‐guided phototherapy. Wang and his coworkers [ 73–75 ] fabricated different types of AIE nanoprobes for NIR‐II fluorescence image‐guided synergistic phototherapy (Figure 10e). By constructing AIE molecules with strong D–A units and prolonged conjugation, a series of “one for all” phototheranostic agents were prepared.…”

Unadulterated Organic Nanoparticles with Small Sizes for Robust Tumor Imaging and Photothermal Treatment

“…[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Combining FRI and photototherapy in one molecule for tumor theranostics is reasonable based on the ingenious design and supramolecular assembly. [22][23][24][25][26] Compared with the traditional cancer therapies, photothermal therapy (PTT) or photodynamic therapy has many advantages, such as the low invasiveness, minimal side effects, and high specificity. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Although great progresses have been made in various PTT systems, there is little attention to synthesize photothermal agents (PTAs) with small sizes for optimal therapeutic effects.…”