Intracellular Modulation of Excited‐State Dynamics in a Chromophore Dyad: Differential Enhancement of Photocytotoxicity Targeting Cancer Cells |
| |
Authors: | Dr. Safacan Kolemen Dr. Murat Işık Gyoung Mi Kim Dabin Kim Hao Geng Muhammed Buyuktemiz Tugce Karatas Prof. Xian‐Fu Zhang Prof. Yavuz Dede Prof. Juyoung Yoon Prof. Engin U. Akkaya |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. UNAM‐Institute of Material Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800 (Turkey);2. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Bingol University, Bingol 12400 (Turkey);3. Department of Chemistry and NanoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120‐750 (Korea);4. Department of Chemistry & Center of Instrumental Analysis, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province 066004 (China);5. Department of Chemistry, Gazi University, Ankara 06500 (Turkey);6. Department of Chemistry, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800 (Turkey) |
| |
Abstract: | The photosensitized generation of reactive oxygen species, and particularly of singlet oxygen [O2(a1Δg)], is the essence of photodynamic action exploited in photodynamic therapy. The ability to switch singlet oxygen generation on/off would be highly valuable, especially when it is linked to a cancer‐related cellular parameter. Building on recent findings related to intersystem crossing efficiency, we designed a dimeric BODIPY dye with reduced symmetry, which is ineffective as a photosensitizer unless it is activated by a reaction with intracellular glutathione (GSH). The reaction alters the properties of both the ground and excited states, consequently enabling the efficient generation of singlet oxygen. Remarkably, the designed photosensitizer can discriminate between different concentrations of GSH in normal and cancer cells and thus remains inefficient as a photosensitizer inside a normal cell while being transformed into a lethal singlet oxygen source in cancer cells. This is the first demonstration of such a difference in the intracellular activity of a photosensitizer. |
| |
Keywords: | BODIPY dyes photochemistry photodynamic therapy photosensitizers singlet oxygen |
|
|