A structure-guided strategy to design Golgi apparatus-targeted type-I/II aggregation-induced emission photosensitizers for efficient photodynamic therapy

The Golgi apparatus (GA) is a vital target for anticancer therapy due to its sensitivity against reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress that could lead to cell death. In this study, we designed a series of aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-based photosensitizers (TPAPyTZ, TPAPyTC, TPAPyTI, and TPAPyTM) carrying different ROS with selective GA-targeted ability. The in vitro study showed that TPAPyTZ and TPAPyTC displayed strong AIE characteristics, robust type-I/II ROS production capabilities, specific GA-targeted, high photostability, and high imaging quality. The cell-uptake of TPAPyTZ was found primarily through an energy-dependent caveolae/raft-mediated endocytosis pathway. Remarkably, TPAPyTZ induced GA-oxidative stress, leading to GA fragmentation, downregulation of GM130 expression, and activation of mitochondria caspase-related apoptosis during photodynamic therapy (PDT). In vivo experiments revealed that TPAPyTZ significantly inhibited tumor proliferation under lower-intensity white light irradiation with minimal side effects. Overall, our work presents a promising strategy for designing AIEgens for fluorescence imaging-guided PDT. Additionally, it enriched the collection of GA-targeted leads for the development of cancer theranostics capable of visualizing dynamic changes in the GA during cancer cell apoptosis, which could potentially enable early diagnosis applications in the future. AIE luminogens (AIEgens) are potent phototheranostic agents that can exhibit strong fluorescence emission and enhance ROS production in the aggregate states. In this study, through the precise design of photosensitizers with four different electron-acceptors, we constructed a series of potent AIEgens (TPAPyTZ, TPAPyTC, TPAPyTM, and TPAPyTI) with strong fluorescence intensity and ROS generation capacity. Among them, TPAPyTZ with an extended π-conjugation displayed the strongest ROS generation ability and anti-tumor activity, resulting in an 88% reduction in tumor weight. Our studies revealed that the enhanced activity of TPAPyTZ may be due to its unique Golgi apparatus (GA)-targeted ability, which causes GA oxidative stress followed by effective cancer cell apoptosis. This unique GA-targeted feature of TPAPyTZ remains rare in the reported AIEgens, which mainly target organelles such as lysosome, mitochondria, and cell membrane. The successful design of a GA-targeted and potent AIEgen could enrich the collection of GA-targeted luminogens, providing a lead theranostic for the further development of fluorescence imaging-guided PDT, and serving as a tool to explore the potential mechanism and discover new GA-specific drug targets.