Mitochondria targeted AIE probes for cancer phototherapy

Abstract

In recent years, mitochondrion (powerhouse of the cells) gained lots of interest as one of the unorthodox targets for futuristic cancer therapy. As a result, novel small molecules were developed to damage and image mitochondria in cancer models. In this context, aggregation-induced emission probes (AIEgens) received immense attention due to their applications in mitochondria-targeted biosensing, imaging, and biomedical theranostics. On the other hand, phototherapy (photodynamic and photothermal) has emerged as a powerful alternative to manage cancer due to its less invasive nature. However, merging these two areas to engineer mitochondria-targeted phototherapeutic probes for cancer diagnosis and treatment has remained a major challenge. In this mini-review, we will outline the development of novel mitochondria-targeted small molecule AIEgens as imaging agents and photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy along with dual photodymanic-phototheramal therapy and chemo-photodynamic therapy. We will also highlight the current challenges in developing mitochondria-targeted photothermal therapy probes for future biomedical theranostic applications to manage cancer.