Discovery of a pyridophenoselenazinium-based photosensitizer with high photodynamic efficacy against breast cancer cells

Development of efficient photosensitizers with minimal side effects is highly desirable for photodynamic therapy. Reported herein is the discovery of a novel pyridophenoselenazinium-based NIR-I photosensitizer, termed PPSe , that efficiently generated both type I and II reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon appropriate light irradiation. PPSe exhibited potent phototoxicity as well as excellent phototherapeutic indices against several breast cancer cell lines. PPSe induced DNA damage and breast cancer cell apoptosis via photo-triggered intracellular ROS generation.