TY - JOUR AU - Shao, Wei AU - Yang, Chuang AU - Li, Fangyuan AU - Wu, Jiahe AU - Wang, Nan AU - Ding, Qiang AU - Gao, Jianqing AU - Ling, Daishun PY - 2020/07/13 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Molecular Design of Conjugated Small Molecule Nanoparticles for Synergistically Enhanced PTT/ PDT JF - Nano-Micro Letters JA - Nano-Micro Lett VL - 12 IS - SE - Articles DO - 10.1007/s40820-020-00474-6 UR - https://www.nmlett.org/index.php/nml/article/view/45 SP - 147 AB - <p>Simultaneous photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) is beneficial for enhanced cancer therapy due to the synergistic effect. Conventional materials developed for synergistic PTT/PDT are generally multicomponent agents that need complicated preparation procedures and be activated by multiple laser sources. The emerging monocomponent diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based conjugated small molecular agents enable dual PTT/PDT under a single laser irradiation, but suffer from low singlet oxygen quantum yield, which severely restricts the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we report acceptor-oriented molecular design of a donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) conjugated small molecule (IID-ThTPA)-based phototheranostic agent, with isoindigo (IID) as selective acceptor and triphenylamine (TPA) as donor. The strong D–A strength and narrow singlet–triplet energy gap endow IID-ThTPA nanoparticles (IID-ThTPA NPs) high mass extinction coefficient (18.2&nbsp;L&nbsp;g<sup>−1</sup>&nbsp;cm<sup>−1</sup>), competitive photothermal conversion efficiency (35.4%), and a dramatically enhanced singlet oxygen quantum yield (84.0%) comparing with previously reported monocomponent PTT/PDT agents. Such a high PTT/PDT performance of IID-ThTPA NPs achieved superior tumor cooperative eradicating capability in vitro and in vivo.</p><p>Highlights:</p><p>1 A donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) conjugated small molecule IID-ThTPA with narrow singlet–triplet energy gap is synthesized via acceptor-oriented molecular design.<br>2 IID-ThTPA nanoparticles exhibit not only competitive photothermal conversion efficiency (35.4%), but also a dramatically high singlet oxygen quantum yield (84.0%).<br>3 IID-ThTPA nanoparticles enable superior cooperative tumor PTT/PDT eradicating capability both in vitro and in vivo.</p> ER -