A Simple Route toward Next-Generation Thiobase-Based Photosensitizers for Cancer Theranostics

Sulfur-substituted biocompatible carbonyl fluorophores have been recognized as effective heavy-atom-free photosensitizers (PSs) for cancer therapy due to their remarkable phototherapeutic properties. However, guidelines on their molecular design are still a substantial challenge. Most of the existing thiocarbonyl-based PSs are nonemissive in both the solution and restricted states, which hinders their further biomedical applications. Herein, we report the interesting finding that sulfur-substituted coumarins exhibit an uncommon phenomenon, aggregation-induced emission. More intriguingly, we also found that the introduction of a strong electron-accepting trifluoromethyl group is crucial to facilitate the mitochondrial-targeting ability of neutral coumarin fluorophores. The resulting CMS-2 PS displayed selective imaging of mitochondria and exhibited much higher photodynamic therapy efficiency toward cancer cells than that of the commercial PS erythrosine B. This work provides deep insight into the molecular design of heavy-atom-free thiobase-based PSs and simultaneously offers a great opportunity to develop novel mitochondrial-targeting fluorescent indicators with neutral bioinspired platforms.