Synthesis of photostable near-infrared sulfone-rhodamines for photoacoustic imaging-guided photothermal therapy
Huiyu Si, Wang DongJuan, Xianfa Du, Xin Zhou
Abstract
Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a cutting-edge cancer treatment that can kill cancer cells in hypoxic environments without relying on oxygen. Seeking of the ideal photothermal agents with a high absorption coefficient in the near-infrared region, and a high excellent photothermal conversion efficiency is of great significance. Sulfone-Rhodanmine dye has showed an impressive absorption wavelength over 700 nm, but suffered from a stability issue. In this study, we synthesized five sulfone rhodamines and investigated the substitution effects on stability. SO 2 R2 showed high stability and strong absorbance at 714 nm with an excellent photothermal conversion efficiency of 53.06%, making it suitable for accurate photoacoustic imaging-guided photothermal therapy in vivo .