A Near-Infrared Emitting Aggregation-Induced Emission Photosensitizer with Endoplasmic Reticulum Targeting Ability for Breast Cancer Photodynamic Therapy


Tahir Z., Sayed S. M., Lulek E., Azizoglu Z. B., Yildiz G., BALCIOĞLU E., ...Daha Fazla

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, cilt.18, sa.9, ss.13516-13528, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 18 Sayı: 9
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1021/acsami.5c25184
  • Dergi Adı: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Compendex, INSPEC, MEDLINE
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.13516-13528
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: aggregation-induced emission, breast cancer, endoplasmic reticulum targeting, NIR emission, photodynamic therapy, reactive oxygen species (ROS)
  • Erciyes Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Organelle-specific photosensitizers offer an effective strategy to enhance photodynamic therapy (PDT) by spatially confining reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation to vulnerable intracellular sites; however, most conventional photosensitizers suffer from aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ), limited subcellular targeting precision, and inefficient ROS generation under low-intensity visible or white light irradiation. Herein, we report a naphthalimide-based aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer, TPAPV-NIM-TSA, rationally engineered to address these limitations through endoplasmic reticulum (ER) targeting, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging, and efficient photodynamic tumor ablation. Encapsulation of TPAPV-NIM-TSA within a Pluronic F127 matrix yields stable nanoparticles (TPAPV-NIM-TSA@F127) with improved aqueous dispersibility, biocompatibility, and cellular uptake. The donor−π–acceptor molecular architecture with extended π-conjugation results in broad visible-light absorption and a reduced singlet–triplet energy gap, as supported by density functional theory calculations, enabling efficient intersystem crossing and the simultaneous generation of both type I and type II ROS under low-intensity white light irradiation. TPAPV-NIM-TSA@F127 exhibits pronounced AIE behavior with NIR fluorescence emission, facilitating intracellular imaging while avoiding ACQ. Confocal microscopy and colocalization analyses confirm selective accumulation of TPAPV-NIM-TSA@F127 in the ER, where ER-localized ROS generation leads to effective photodynamic ablation of breast cancer cells with minimal dark toxicity. In vivo evaluation in 4T1 tumor-bearing BALB/c mice demonstrates significant tumor growth inhibition and near-complete tumor eradication under white light irradiation, accompanied by negligible systemic toxicity, minimal hemolysis, and no observable damage to major organs. These results establish TPAPV-NIM-TSA@F127 as a multifunctional ER-targeted AIE photosensitizer that integrates imaging capability, dual ROS generation pathways, and effective in vivo PDT, providing a promising platform for the development of next-generation organelle-targeted phototherapeutic materials.