Chemiluminescence-Guided Cancer Therapy Using a Chemiexcited Photosensitizer

Image-guided therapy is one of the most promising strategies for efficiently curing a tumor. Here, a novel nanomaterial with chemiexcited far-red/near-infrared (FR/NIR) emission and singlet oxygen (1O2) generation is reported for precise diagnosis and treatment of tumors. Bis[2,4,5-trichloro-6-(pentyloxycarbonyl)phenyl] oxalate (CPPO) and a specially designed photosensitizer TBD with aggregation-induced FR/NIR emission were co-encapsulated by pluronic F-127 and soybean oil to form C-TBD nanoparticles (C-TBD NPs). These NPs serve as a specific H2O2 probe to precisely track tumors in vivo through chemiluminescence imaging. In addition, effective 1O2 generation by C-TBD NPs in response to tumor H2O2 was observed, which could efficiently induce tumor cell apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth. Both the chemiluminescence response and the therapeutic function were further enhanced when β-phenylethyl isothiocyanate was used to enhance the H2O2 production at the tumor site. Our results prove that C-TBD NPs provide a new strategy for intelligent, accurate, and non-invasive tumor therapy.