Abstract

A dual-functional photosensitizer that demonstrates exceptional photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy while simultaneously self-monitoring the therapeutic response in real time is reported here. Possessing an ultrahigh 1 O 2 quantum yield of 98.6% in water, the photosensitizer TPCI can efficiently induce cell death in a series of carcinoma cells (IC 50 values less than 300 × 10 −9 m ) upon irradiation with an extremely low fluence (460 nm, 4 mW cm −2 for 10 min). In addition, TPCI can self-monitor cell death in real time. It is weakly fluorescent in living cells before irradiation and lights up the nuclei concomitantly with cell death during PDT treatment by binding with chromatin to activate its aggregation-induced emission, attributed to its strong binding affinity with DNA. In vivo studies using mouse models bearing H22 and B16F10 tumor cells validate the ultraefficient PDT efficacy of TPCI as well as the precise real-time noninvasive readout of the tumor response from the beginning of cancer treatment. The dual-functional TPCI serves as an excellent candidate for single-agent photodynamic theranostics, and this work represents a new paradigm for the development of molecules with multiple intrinsic functions for future self-reporting medical applications.