Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kristy W. K. Lam, Joe H. C. Chau, Eric Y. Yu, Feiyi Sun, Jacky W. Y. Lam, Dan Ding, Ryan T. K. Kwok, Jianwei Sun, Xuewen He, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: In this study, a phosphate group was introduced as a cancer-specific biomarker of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) on a photosensitizer (PS) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) for cancer cell imaging and therapy. The phosphate group on the PS is selectively hydrolyzed by ALP in high ALP expressing cancer cells, leading to aggregation and fluorescent response. Furthermore, fluorescence-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) was achieved by using the aggregates of PS with strong reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency under white light irradiation.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Peihong Xiao, Zipeng Shen, Deliang Wang, Yinzhen Pan, Ying Li, Junyi Gong, Lei Wang, Dong Wang, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: A series of near-infrared anion-pi(+) photosensitizers with aggregation-induced emission were designed and developed for broad-spectrum MDR bacteria eradication, achieving up to 99% photodynamic killing efficacy against MRSA and MDR E. coli. Due to enhanced ROS generation capability, these AIE-PSs exhibited excellent therapeutic performance under white light irradiation.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ming-Yu Wu, Luojia Chen, Qingrong Chen, Rui Hu, Xiaoyu Xu, Yifei Wang, Jie Li, Shun Feng, Changjiang Dong, Xiao-Lian Zhang, Zhiqiang Li, Lianrong Wang, Shi Chen, Meijia Gu
Summary: This study proposes a novel strategy for the treatment of sepsis by combining aggregation-induced emission photosensitizer (AIE-PS) with phages. This strategy effectively removes pathogenic bacteria through a nucleophilic substitution reaction. It retains phage's host specificity and possesses fluorescence imaging and reactive oxygen species (ROS) characteristics for bacteria detection and sterilization. It shows superior bactericidal efficacy in animal models and can quickly diagnose blood infections in clinical samples.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Qiang Yue, Xuewen He, Neng Yan, Sidan Tian, Chenchen Liu, Wen-Xiong Wang, Liang Luo, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: TVP-A is an effective, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly candidate for the management of harmful algal blooms.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yujie Bai, Eric Y. Y. Yu, Yongsai Liu, Hongli Jin, Xingqi Liu, Xiaoyu Wu, Mengyao Zhang, Na Feng, Pei Huang, Haili Zhang, Ryan. T. K. Kwok, Xianzhu Xia, Yuanyuan Li, Ben Zhong Tang, Hualei Wang
Summary: Rabies is a fatal disease caused by the rabies virus, and more efficient antiviral methods are needed. Photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy using a photosensitizer with high reactive oxygen species generation ability can inactivate the virus and activate the immune response. This study demonstrates the potential of combining these two approaches for future antiviral research.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tianwei Li, Zhe Xu, Hong Chen, Shijie Zhen, Hua Gu, Zujin Zhao, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has many advantages including precise control, noninvasiveness, high efficiency, and spatiotemporal selectivity. However, most currently used photosensitizers have drawbacks of weak light absorption and low reactive oxygen species generation ability. By introducing highly electronegative nitrogen atom, two photostable photosensitizers are designed to have high absorption coefficient and efficient ROS generation ability.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhenyan He, Sidan Tian, Yuting Gao, Fanling Meng, Liang Luo
Summary: Photodynamic therapy is an emerging effective strategy for cancer treatment with many advantages, and the key element in PDT, photosensitizers with aggregation-induced emission characteristics, has drawn significant attention. Organic nanomaterials with AIE characteristics or AIE dots have shown excellent performance in assisting PDT.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Hao Yu, Binjie Chen, Huiming Huang, Zhentao He, Jiangman Sun, Guan Wang, Xinggui Gu, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: Photodynamic therapy is a non-invasive approach for tumor elimination that is gaining increasing attention. The development of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) active photosensitizers has opened up new possibilities for overcoming the limitations of traditional photodynamic therapy.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zijuan Meng, Huiying Xue, Tingting Wang, Biao Chen, Xiyuan Dong, Lili Yang, Jun Dai, Xiaoding Lou, Fan Xia
Summary: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising non-invasive cancer treatment, but traditional photosensitizers have limitations. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-PSs, with their unique structure, exhibit enhanced photosensitivity in the aggregated state. This review discusses the design and preparation of AIE-PSs, their preclinical experiments in treating different types of tumors, and the potential clinical applications. It also presents perspectives on the further development of AIE-PSs.
JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ming-Yu Wu, Meijia Gu, Jong-Kai Leung, Xinmei Li, Yuncong Yuan, Chao Shen, Lianrong Wang, Engui Zhao, Sijie Chen
Summary: This study reports the efficient inactivation of human coronavirus with photodynamic therapy using photosensitizers with aggregation-induced emission characteristics. The photosensitizer can effectively target and inactivate the virus under light irradiation, providing a new avenue for combating COVID-19 with photodynamic therapy.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yulu Li, Di Zhang, Yuewen Yu, Le Zhang, Ling Li, Leilei Shi, Guangxue Feng, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: This study presents a cascade strategy using an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer-albumin complex to enhance the generation of type I reactive oxygen species (ROS), particularly hydroxyl radicals (OH·), for hypoxia-tolerant photodynamic therapy (PDT). The complex contains three important moieties that cooperatively enhance free radical generation. By inserting the complex into the hydrophobic domain of bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (BSA NPs), triplet exciton generation is increased, leading to OH· generation in the electron-rich microenvironment. Experimental and theoretical results confirm the effectiveness of this cascade strategy. In vitro and in vivo experiments validate the superior antitumor PDT performance of BSA NPs compared to conventional approaches.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Zijuan Meng, Tingting Wang, Yuxin Hu, Hanzhi Ouyang, Quan Wang, Meng Wu, Jian Zhou, Xiaoding Lou, Shixuan Wang, Jun Dai, Fan Xia
Summary: This research reports the macrophage membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles (NPs), named M@PFC, which combine the photodynamic therapy (PDT) properties of the aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active photosensitizer and the immunotherapy properties of CpG. These NPs significantly delay tumor recurrence after surgery, providing an important reference for developing more effective photodynamic-immunotherapy combination therapy protocols.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juechen Ni, Yijia Wang, Haoke Zhang, Jing Zhi Sun, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: AIE-PSs have shown high capability in fluorescence and photoacoustic bimodal imaging, as well as in fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy. Scientists can further develop various types of AIE-PSs with superior performance through the analysis of classification and construction methods.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Min Wu, Xingang Liu, Huan Chen, Yukun Duan, Jingjing Liu, Yutong Pan, Bin Liu
Summary: Membrane-targeting photosensitizers induced pyroptosis for cancer cell ablation, offering a noninvasive, low side-effect intervention strategy based on photo-activated cell death pathway.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yucheng Ma, Zeyan Zhuang, Longjiang Xing, Jianqing Li, Zhiwen Yang, Shaomin Ji, Rong Hu, Zujin Zhao, Yanping Huo, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: The study introduces a series of red fluorophores as organelle-targeting antitumor photosensitizers with aggregation-induced emission characteristics, showing promising efficacy in killing cancer cells and inhibiting tumor growth in living mice.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hailing Zhao, Nan Li, Caixia Ma, Zhengwei Wei, Qiya Zeng, Keyi Zhang, Na Zhao, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: Two red-emissive luminogens, TPTH and TPTB, with typical aggregation-induced emission characteristics, were developed. TPTB exhibited higher reactive oxygen species generation efficiency through both types I and II pathways by introducing the heavy atom of Br at the end of the alkyl chain. TPTB also showed excellent biocompatibility and proper lipophilicity, making it suitable for long-term cell membrane staining and targeted photodynamic therapy against cancer cells.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Wen Tian, Guanfei Yao, Rongrong Hu, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: Fluoropolymers with unique structures, high chemical stability, heat resistance, hydrophobicity, and insulation to electricity have been synthesized using a convenient tool of palladium-catalyzed polymerization. The polymers exhibit high selectivity, high molecular weights, good solubility, high thermal resistance, and hydrophobicity. This efficient polymerization method promotes the development of polymer synthetic methodology and the exploration of new fluoropolymer structures and materials.
MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Baoxi Li, Jingli Lou, Han Zhang, Ganggang Li, Xin He, Yu Huang, Nan Zheng, Zhiming Wang, Dongge Ma, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: The hot exciton mechanism based on high-lying reverse intersystem crossing process is advantageous in achieving high-performance deep-blue OLEDs. To further improve device performance, a deep-blue emitter based on exciton recovery strategy, named CAT, is successfully designed. Through various measurements, the multi-channeled pathways of exciton utilization and the proportion of singlet excitons are comprehensively demonstrated. By achieving high exciton utilization efficiency, CAT-based non-doped OLEDs exhibit excellent external quantum efficiency and sensitized blue fluorescent OLEDs also achieve remarkable performance. The operational lifetime of the multi-channel sensitized device is evaluated for the first time, highlighting the significance of the exciton recovery strategy.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Minjie Zhang, Jianyu Zhang, Parvej Alam, Wenlang Li, Jacky W. Y. Lam, Guocheng Jia, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: This study presents a new class of photofluorochromic AIE compounds that combine luminogenic units with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features with photo-responsive hydrazone. These compounds exhibit reversible and swift photo-isomerization with high quantum yields. They are utilized to fabricate photopatterns for information storage, demonstrating excellent rewritability and intensity-variable fluorescence with a high resolution of 10 μm. This work provides a new strategy for intelligent photopattern systems with continuous gradient fluorescence for information storage and cybernetics.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jianyu Zhang, Yujie Tu, Hanchen Shen, Jacky W. Y. Lam, Jianwei Sun, Haoke Zhang, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: This study systematically illustrates the impacts of proximity effect and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) on luminescent behaviors of heterocyclic luminogens. The authors report a series of methylquinoxaline derivatives and reveal the energy level changes and coupling effects of the closely related (n,& pi;*) and (& pi;,& pi;*) states, which intrinsically regulate proximity effect and AIE behaviors. The results provide insights into the development of functional and responsive luminogens with AIE properties.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Zipeng Shen, Wei Zhu, Yajia Huang, Jiangjiang Zhang, Yifan Wu, Yinzhen Pan, Guang Yang, Dong Wang, Ying Li, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: To address the issue of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria-related wound infections, researchers have developed a new antibacterial wound dressing that can prevent MDR bacteria infection and promote wound healing. The composite of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecule BITT and bacterial cellulose (BC) shows good transparency and allows for monitoring the wound healing process. The BC-BITT composites exhibit photodynamic and photothermal synergistic antibacterial effects under 660 nm laser irradiation and demonstrate excellent wound healing performance in a mouse full-thickness skin wound model infected by MDR bacteria, with negligible toxicity. This work provides a new approach for treating clinically troublesome wound infections.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jing Zhang, Wenjing Liu, Yangjing Liu, Jianyu Zhang, Pengfei Gao, Lei Zheng, Feng Xu, Guorui Jin, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: A simple yet efficient design strategy is discovered to enhance the absorptivity of AIEgens by introducing gold(I) unit. The integration of gold(I) confers the AIE ligand with much higher photothermal conversion efficiency, more superior NIR-II luminescence, and high-efficiency cancer therapeutic ability. The fabricated tumor-targeting nanoparticles achieve specific NIR-II tumorous imaging and high-efficiency cancer therapy via the synergistic chemotherapy and photothermal therapy.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yi Qin, Qing-Hui Ling, Yu-Te Wang, Yi-Xiong Hu, Lianrui Hu, Xiaoli Zhao, Dong Wang, Hai-Bo Yang, Lin Xu, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: A series of covalent organic cages built from aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorophores were prepared through the reduction of M-2(L-A)(3)(L-B)(2)-type metallacages. The covalent cages exhibited good chemical stability and bright emission. They could be further modified into an amide-functionalized cage with a higher quantum yield. These covalent cages were used as good energy donors for constructing efficient light-harvesting systems with Nile Red as an energy acceptor, displaying efficient energy transfer and high antenna effect for photocatalysis.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaoning Li, Liangjing Tu, Mingxue Gao, Aisen Li, Yi Chen, Weijie Chi, Dongdong Zhang, Lian Duan, Yujun Xie, Ben Zhong Tang, Zhen Li
Summary: Exploring blue organic light emitting diodes (OLED) is a challenging yet important task. By fusing cyclohexane with quinoxaline, the electron-withdrawing ability and conjugation degree of the acceptor can be weakened, resulting in blue-shifted emission. Three blue to cyan fluorescent emitters (Me-DPA-TTPZ, tBu-DPA-TTPZ, and TPA-TTPZ) were designed and synthesized, exhibiting high photoluminescence quantum yields and thermal stability. OLEDs with TPA-TTPZ emitters demonstrated deep-blue (449 nm) and blue (468 nm) emission, validating their potential as blue emitters in OLEDs.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jinshi Li, Pingchuan Shen, Zeyan Zhuang, Junqi Wu, Ben Zhong Tang, Zujin Zhao
Summary: This study designs tailored foldamers to achieve volatile memory behaviors via quantum interference switching in single-molecule junctions. The weakened orbital through-space mixing induced by electro-polarization dominates stacking malposition and quantum interference switching. These findings provide evidence and interpretation of the electro-responsiveness of non-covalent interaction at the single-molecule level.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chengcheng Zhou, Zeyu Ding, Weijiang Guan, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: By tuning the hydrophilicity and stability of monomers and aggregates through tailoring the linkers between two quaternary ammonium end groups and tetraphenylethylene skeleton, three bola-type cationic amphiphiles with aggregation-induced emission property were developed to selectively monitor the interaction with bacteria using sensitive fluorescence switching. The results showed that the aggregates with cationic charges first attach to bacterial surface, and then the monomers dissociate from aggregates to penetrate bacterial membrane. The study revealed the vital role of aggregate stability during antimicrobial process, providing insights into the rational design of highly efficient antimicrobials.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Hanchen Shen, Changhuo Xu, Ruquan Ye, Tzu-Ming Liu, Jianyu Zhang, Ryan T. K. Kwok, Jacky W. Y. Lam, Zhihong Guo, Jianwei Sun, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: The development of water-soluble aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) emitting in the near-infrared (NIR) window holds promise for efficient biomedical applications. Various molecular design strategies have been developed to improve their water solubility, including integrating hydrophilic groups and targeting moieties. This review presents diverse approaches to attain water-soluble NIR AIEgens and elaborates on three commonly used strategies involving charged groups, hydrophilic chains, and bioactive moieties. These rational design strategies are believed to enhance the water solubility and biological performance of NIR AIEgens in a single action. The remaining challenges and opportunities in this field are also discussed.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yupeng Shi, Yaning Xia, Mengyang Zhou, Qiuna Shi, Li Meng, Chuen Kam, Hui Gao, Jingliang Cheng, Ben Zhong Tang, Sijie Chen, Engui Zhao
Summary: This study presents a facile assembly strategy for the fabrication of starch-based luminescent nanoaggregates using starch as the host material and aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) as guest molecules. Highly luminescent nanoparticles with small sizes, high water dispersibility, and low cytotoxicity can be prepared on a large scale through simple procedures under mild conditions. The resulting nano-assemblies demonstrate significantly enhanced fluorescence intensities, reduced susceptibility to photobleaching, and low cytotoxicity.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Weidong Yin, Yucheng Ma, Shuge Chen, Longjiang Xing, Shaomin Ji, Jacky W. Y. Lam, Ryan T. K. Kwok, Yanping Huo, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: This study focuses on the design and synthesis of organic photosensitizers with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics. By incorporating a benzophenone moiety, the synthesized compounds exhibit efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation under light, making them suitable for photodynamic therapy applications. The researchers also investigated the emission properties of these compounds and achieved emission covering the entire visible region. The cationic nature and excellent ROS generation ability of the benzophenone-containing AIE photosensitizers enable specific imaging of mitochondria and effective killing of cancer cells.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hao Chen, Jiajie Zeng, Ruishan Huang, Jianghui Wang, Junchu He, Hao Liu, Dezhi Yang, Dongge Ma, Zujin Zhao, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: The team synthesized and characterized a multifunctional luminogen called SBF-BP-SFAC, which has high thermal stability and aggregation-enhanced delayed fluorescence, and can enhance efficiency as an emitter and sensitizer for OLEDs.