Targeted combinational therapy inducing mitochondrial dysfunction.

We report on a mitochondria-specific combinational theranostic agent, 1. This system contains a chlorambucil prodrug and an aggregation induced emission dye. In addition, compound 1 bears both an intracellular thiol-triggered moiety and a mitochondria targeting unit (triphenylphosphonium). Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant thiol and its concentrations are significantly higher in a great number of cancer cell lines, compared to normal cells. The GSH-induced prodrug 1 upon activation releases chlorambucil and exhibits mitochondria targeted aggregation induced emission (AIE) fluorescence, resulting in cell apoptosis via the caspase pathway due to mitochondrial dysfunction.