Issue 19, 2021

Recent advances of AIE light-up probes for photodynamic therapy

Abstract

As a new non-invasive treatment method, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted great attention in biomedical applications. The advantages of possessing fluorescence for photosensitizers have made it possible to combine imaging and diagnosis together with PDT. The unique features of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorogens provide new opportunities for facile design of light-up probes with high signal-to-noise ratios and improved theranostic accuracy and efficacy for image-guided PDT. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of AIE light-up probes for PDT. The strategies and principles to design AIE photosensitizers and light-up probes are firstly introduced. The application of AIE light-up probes in photodynamic antitumor and antibacterial applications is further elaborated in detail, from binding/targeting-mediated, reaction-mediated, and external stimuli-mediated light-up aspects. The challenges and future perspectives of AIE light-up probes in the PDT field are also presented with the hope to encourage more promising developments of AIE materials for phototheranostic applications and translational research.

Graphical abstract: Recent advances of AIE light-up probes for photodynamic therapy

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
05 1 2021
Accepted
22 2 2021
First published
12 4 2021
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2021,12, 6488-6506

Recent advances of AIE light-up probes for photodynamic therapy

S. Liu, G. Feng, B. Z. Tang and B. Liu, Chem. Sci., 2021, 12, 6488 DOI: 10.1039/D1SC00045D

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