Mitochondria targeted upconversion molecular platform for photodynamic therapy of cancer cells

Increasing interest has been noted in photosensitizer design. Currently, most small molecular photosensitizers have several drawbacks, including limited penetration depth and unsatisfying photostability. For addressing these limitations, Frequency upconversion luminescence (FUCL) small molecule was adopted as a photosensitizer design strategy for its deeper penetration, sensitive imaging, and better photostability. We developed a series of FUCL (NIR-NH2 , NIR-NHEt, NIR-NEt2) molecules with rigid structures. Equipped with the most powerful electron donor, NIR-NEt2 exhibits the highest singlet oxygen generation, the strongest upconversion luminescence in-tensity under 808 nm irradiation and mitochondria-targeted ability. FUCL can be a superior molecular platform for image-guided photodynamic therapy of cancer cells.