Ternary Copolymers Incorporating Tunable Conjugated Donors for Near-Infrared II Fluorescence Imaging and Photothermal Therapy.

The near-infrared second window (NIR-II) offers excellent spatial resolution and tissue penetration, drawing attention to NIR-II laser-excited photothermal therapy (PTT) and NIR-II fluorescence imaging. However, integrating these two applications poses challenges due to safe laser power and reagent dosage constraints. To overcome these issues, we proposed modifying the ternary copolymer backbone by substituting 4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene (DTC) with 4,9-dihydro-s-indaceno[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene (IDT), enabling a transition from a photothermal to a fluorescence agent.

Molecular design of ternary copolymers with high photothermal performance in the near-infrared window for effective treatment of gliomas in vivo.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising approach for treating glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with minimal invasiveness and favorable outcomes. Conjugated polymers as photothermal agents offer stability, biocompatibility, and adjustable absorption capacity. However, existing polymers face limitations in achieving high photothermal conversion efficiency and strong absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) region, posing a risk of damaging healthy tissues surrounding GBM during precise PTT.

Near-Infrared Conjugated Polymers Containing Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Units Enable Enhanced Photothermal Therapy.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) using near-infrared (NIR) conjugated polymers as photosensitizers has exhibited enormous potential for tumor treatment. However, most NIR conjugated polymers have poor therapeutic efficacy due to their faint absorbance in the NIR region and low photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE). Herein, a valuable strategy for designing NIR polymeric photosensitizer PEKBs with an enhanced PCE accompanied by strong NIR absorbance is proposed by means of inserting TPA-AQ as a thermally activated delayed fluorescence unit into a polymeric backbone.