Photosensitizer-based small molecule theranostic agents for tumor-targeted monitoring and phototherapy

• Published in: Bioorganic chemistry Vol. 136; p. 106554
• Main Authors: Gao, Jiake, Jiang, Hongfei, Chen, Pengwei, Zhang, Renshuai, Liu, Ning
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-07-2023
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug design; Humans; Nanoparticles; Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Photosensitizer; Photosensitizing Agents - pharmacology; Photosensitizing Agents - therapeutic use; Phototherapy; Precision Medicine; Theranostic; Tumor-targeted imaging; Drug design; Tumor-targeted imaging; Photosensitizer; Theranostic; Phototherapy
• ISSN: 0045-2068; 1090-2120
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106554

Photosensitizer have dual functions of imaging and phototherapy, and have been widely used in the construction of small molecule theranostic agents. Combining tumor targeting units and photosensitizers is the most common practice in the design of theranostic agents based on photosensitizer.
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Small molecule theranostic agents for tumor treatment exhibited triadic properties in tumor targeting, imaging, and therapy, which have attracted increasing attention as a potential complement for, or improved to, classical small molecule antitumor drugs. Photosensitizer have dual functions of imaging and phototherapy, and have been widely used in the construction of small molecule theranostic agents over the last decade. In this review, we summarized representative agents that have been studied in the field of small molecule theranostic agents based on photosensitizer in the last decade, and highlighted their characteristics and application in tumor-targeted monitoring and phototherapy. The challenges and future perspectives of photosensitizers in building small molecule theranostic agents for diagnosis and therapy of tumors were also discussed.