Wang Xiaoqing, Jiang Zhiyong, Liang Zhaolun, Wang Tianzhu, Chen Yuncong, Liu Zhipeng
College of Science, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Sci Adv. 2022 Dec 2;8(48):eadd5660. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.add5660.
Organic dyes with absorption maxima in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II; 1000 to 1700 nm) are of great interest in biophotonics. However, because of the lack of appropriate molecular scaffolds, current research in this field is limited to cyanine dyes, and developing NIR-II-absorbing organic dyes for biophotonics remains an immense challenge. Here, we rationally designed an ethenylene-bridged BODIPY scaffold featuring excellent J-aggregation capabilities and revealed that the bridging ethylene unit is crucial for intermolecular J-coupling regulation. By integrating the electron-donating groups into the scaffold, we obtained a BODIPY dye, BisBDP2, with a J-aggregate absorption maximum of around 1300 nm. BisBDP2 J-aggregates show excellent photothermal performance, including intense photoacoustic response, and a high photothermal conversion efficiency value of 63%. In vivo results demonstrate the potential of J-aggregates for photoacoustic imaging and photothermal ablation of deep-seated tumors. This study will speed up the exploration of NIR-II-absorbing J-aggregates for future biophotonic applications.
在第二近红外窗口（NIR-II；1000至1700纳米）具有最大吸收峰的有机染料在生物光子学领域备受关注。然而，由于缺乏合适的分子骨架，该领域目前的研究仅限于花菁染料，开发用于生物光子学的吸收NIR-II的有机染料仍然是一项巨大的挑战。在此，我们合理设计了一种具有优异J-聚集能力的亚乙烯基桥连BODIPY骨架，并揭示桥连乙烯单元对于分子间J-耦合调控至关重要。通过将供电子基团整合到骨架中，我们获得了一种BODIPY染料BisBDP2，其J-聚集体的最大吸收峰在1300纳米左右。BisBDP2 J-聚集体表现出优异的光热性能，包括强烈的光声响应，以及63%的高光热转换效率值。体内实验结果证明了J-聚集体在深层肿瘤的光声成像和光热消融方面的潜力。这项研究将加速用于未来生物光子学应用的吸收NIR-II的J-聚集体的探索。
