Photostabilized halocyanine for near‐infrared excited bimodal photothermal synergism and tumor‐targeted therapy

Abstract

In this work, we replaced hydrogen with halogen atoms in the BC7 molecule to enhance the parent molecule's photostability and improve the photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) effects. We further improve and enhance the properties of BC7 while maintaining its optical properties, tumor targeting, and optical therapeutic effects. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of the four synthesized compounds confirms the success of the target products. We briefly screen BC7‐Cl, BC7‐Br, and BC7‐I by in vitro photothermal experiments, in‐solution reactive oxygen species detection, and stability tests. We intravenously inject three molecules into a tumor‐bearing mouse model for in vivo tumor imaging and observe that their tumor‐targeting ability has been markedly improved. In further optical treatment experiments, BC7‐Br showed the best therapeutic effect and a significant improvement compared to BC7. This study provides innovative strategies and theoretical support for the construction and development of new materials with dual functions of efficient PTT and PDT.