Alkyl chain length-regulated in situ intelligent nano-assemblies with AIE-active photosensitizers for photodynamic cancer therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) brings new hope for the treatment of breast cancer due to few side effects and highly effective cell killing; however, the low bioavailability of traditional photosensitizers (PSs) and their dependence on oxygen severely limits their application. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) PSs can dramatically facilitate the photosensitization effect, which can have positive impacts on tumor PDT. To-date, most AIE PSs lack tumor targeting capability and possess poor cell delivery, resulting in their use in large quantities that are harmful to healthy tissues. In this study, a series of AIE PSs based on pyridinium-substituted triphenylamine salts ( TTPAs