Near-infrared-activated Ru(II)-nile blue conjugates as type-I photosensitizers for efficient hypoxia tumor therapy

Pengmin Shi; Zhiyuan Zhou; Yanyan Sun; Qinshen Xie; Chuanzhu Gao; Gang Xu; Jian Zhao; Lei Fang

doi:10.1039/D5CC03927D

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Near-infrared-activated Ru(ii)-nile blue conjugates as type-I photosensitizers for efficient hypoxia tumor therapy

Pengmin Shi,†^a Zhiyuan Zhou,†^ac Yanyan Sun,

*^b Qinshen Xie,^a Chuanzhu Gao,^c Gang Xu,

^a Jian Zhao

*^a and Lei Fang*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Biomedical Research, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
E-mail: jzhao@seu.edu.cn, lei.fang@seu.edu.cn

^b School of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
E-mail: sunyy0628@163.com

^c Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, P. R. China

Abstract

Two cyclometalated Ru(II) complexes functionalized with a modified Nile Blue derivative were developed as near-infrared (NIR)-activated photosensitizers. These complexes efficiently generate superoxide anion radicals (O₂˙⁻) via a type-I mechanism upon irradiation with highly-penetrating 730 nm light, and exhibit outstanding tumor cell-killing efficacy under hypoxic conditions, highlighting their potential for addressing the therapeutic challenges of oxygen-deprived solid tumors.

This article is part of the themed collection: Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D5CC03927D
Article type: Communication
Submitted: 12 Jul 2025
Accepted: 15 Oct 2025
First published: 17 Oct 2025

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Chem. Commun., 2025, Advance Article

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Near-infrared-activated Ru(II)-nile blue conjugates as type-I photosensitizers for efficient hypoxia tumor therapy

P. Shi, Z. Zhou, Y. Sun, Q. Xie, C. Gao, G. Xu, J. Zhao and L. Fang, Chem. Commun., 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5CC03927D

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Chemical Communications

Near-infrared-activated Ru(ii)-nile blue conjugates as type-I photosensitizers for efficient hypoxia tumor therapy

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Near-infrared-activated Ru(II)-nile blue conjugates as type-I photosensitizers for efficient hypoxia tumor therapy

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