Supramolecular coordination complexes (SCCs) with aggregation-induced emission for photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted a great deal of attention in the field of cancer treatment due to its non-invasive nature, high repeatability and minimal side effects. Due to the dual effect of organic small molecule donors and platinum receptors, supramolecular coordination complexes (SCCs) exhibit stronger reactive oxygen species (ROS) production capacity and have become a promising class of photosensitizers (PSs). Herein, we report a rhomboid SCC MD-CN based on the D-A structure with aggregation-induced emission (AIE). The results show that the as-prepared nanoparticles (NPs) had excellent photosensitization efficiency and good biocompatibility. Most importantly, they exhibited potential killing effects on cancer cells in vitro under light irradiation. Schematic illustration of the preparation of D-CN and MD-CN nanoparticles and the process of cell death after light irradiation.