Chinese Chemical Letters最新文献

{"title":"The discovery of acyl thiourea derivatives as potent hydrophobic tagging degraders targeting SIRT2 for the treatment of ovarian cancer","authors":"Dandan Wang ,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Ma ,&nbsp;Yijin Zhao ,&nbsp;Wenting Zou ,&nbsp;Hua Wang ,&nbsp;Yang Gao ,&nbsp;Shimeng Wan ,&nbsp;Jian Ni ,&nbsp;Lilan Xin ,&nbsp;Hai-Bing Zhou ,&nbsp;Hongbing Cai ,&nbsp;Chune Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111143","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111143","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is one of the key members of sirtuins family that plays important role in regulating many physiological processes. Recent evidences have revealed that SIRT2 is associated with the development, progression and metastasis of ovarian cancer. In this study, guided by an in-depth analysis of the clinical characteristics of the expression pattern of SIRT2 in ovarian cancer patients, the first SIRT2-targeted hydrophobic tagging (HyT) degraders have been developed. These acyl thiourea degraders exhibited remarkable anti-proliferative activity in several ovarian cancer cells. Among them, the most effective compound <strong>II-6</strong> exhibited excellent anti-tumor activity both <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in vivo</em> (half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) = 0.002 ± 0.001 µmol/L). In addition, <strong>II-6</strong> was found to effectively suppress cancer cell proliferation and migration, as well as cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, further investigation revealed that compound <strong>II-6</strong> indirectly induced DNA damage through the H4K20me2/53BP1 pathway by degradation of SIRT2. The study not only exemplifies the advantage of the novel HyT degradation strategy but also prove the great potential of SIRT2 as a promising target for drug development of ovarian cancer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 111143"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145975309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Near-infrared light-activated switchable antibacterial agent based on dithienylethene photoswitch","authors":"Ziyong Li ,&nbsp;Jinzhao Song ,&nbsp;Qilian Wang ,&nbsp;Yueheng Qi ,&nbsp;Xingrui Gao ,&nbsp;Yongliang Feng ,&nbsp;Haining Zhang ,&nbsp;Ying-Jun Chen ,&nbsp;Hui Guo ,&nbsp;Xiao-Gang Yang ,&nbsp;Jun Yin","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111139","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111139","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The photopharmacology incorporated with molecular photoswitches offers a promising solution to fundamentally address the problem of bacterial resistance, simultaneously realizes the spatiotemporal precision treatment through remote light control. However, most of reported photoswitchable drugs are limited by the need of ultraviolet (UV) light, which is often damaging and not suitable for tissue penetration. Therefore, the development of photopharmacological agents triggered by visible light, especially near-infrared (NIR) light is highly desirable for future photoswitchable antibiotics. Herein, a novel photopharmacological antibacterial agent DTE-FQ was designed and synthesized by the incorporation of dithienylethene (DTE) molecular photoswitch and fluoroquinolones (FQ) antimicrobial drug norfloxacin bridged by pyridinium group and flexible butyl chain. As expected, as-prepared DTE-FQ presents efficient photoswitching behavior in various solutions upon alternating irradiation with blue light (460–470 nm) and NIR light (730–740 nm). Simultaneously, it shows significant and reversible configurational transition by the synergistic effect of DTE photoswitch and flexible butyl chain. Most remarkably, DTE-FQ reveals an at least 4-fold difference in activity against <em>Escherichia coli</em> (<em>E. coli</em>) for ring-open and ring-closed isomers, and a distinct change in bacterial growth is observed by <em>in situ</em> irradiation with NIR light in the presence of <em>E. coli</em>. These results are further confirmed by the molecular docking to DNA gyrase. The chain-like configuration of DTE-FQ treated with NIR light, inserted between the double-stranded DNA restraining the replication of DNA. Whereas the coiled configuration obtained by blue light irradiation, remained in the vicinity of the double-stranded DNA showing weak antibacterial activity. As far as we know, it represents the first example of blue-/NIR light-triggered photopharmacological antibacterial agent based on DTE switch so far, indicating its potential for <em>in vivo</em> photopharmacological applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 111139"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145975310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rationally engineered a universal far-red fluorogenic substrate of bile salt hydrolase for functional imaging and inhibitor screening","authors":"Wenchao Chen ,&nbsp;Xiaoting Niu ,&nbsp;Xinyu Liang ,&nbsp;Guanghao Zhu ,&nbsp;Xue Zhang ,&nbsp;Qing Gong ,&nbsp;Cen Xie ,&nbsp;Guangbo Ge ,&nbsp;Ping Wang ,&nbsp;Yuqi He","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111320","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111320","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bile salt hydrolase (BSH), a gatekeeper enzyme in bile acid metabolism, regulates the host's bile acid profile and is closely associated with various metabolic diseases. However, suitable methods for measuring its activity in living systems remain scarce. Herein, a novel far-red fluorogenic substrate (<strong>CA-ABEI</strong>) for BSH was designed and developed by conjugating cholic acid with an aminocoumarin fluorophore. Under physiological conditions, <strong>CA-ABEI</strong> can be rapidly hydrolyzed by BSH from various bacterial sources to form <strong>ABEI</strong>, triggering strong fluorescence enhancement at 620 nm. Specifically activated by BSH, <strong>CA-ABEI</strong> enables accurate detection of BSH activity in biospecimens, including pure enzymes, bacteria and intact fecal slurries, and the first bioimaging of BSH activity in both BSH-expressing engineered <em>Escherichia coli</em> and natural intestinal microbiota. Moreover, a high-throughput screening platform was established using <strong>CA-ABEI</strong>, enabling the evaluation of BSH inhibitory effects from 96 herbal extracts. Pu-erh tea emerged as a potent BSH inhibitor and its active components were subsequently characterized, aiding the discovery of novel BSH inhibitors. Collectively, <strong>CA-ABEI</strong> proved to be a powerful tool for monitoring BSH activity in complex biological systems with value for exploring physiological functions and rapid screening of inhibitors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 111320"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145975478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Underwater air bubble plasma-activated peroxymonosulfate for sustainable long-term self-purification of wastewater","authors":"Xin Li ,&nbsp;Zhijie Liu ,&nbsp;Hezhi Guo ,&nbsp;Zekai Zhang ,&nbsp;Polun Pang ,&nbsp;Yuting Gao ,&nbsp;Xiangdong Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the continuous detection of new pollutants in the water environment, their potential harm cannot be ignored. In order to explore an effective method to remove contaminants from wastewater, this paper presents an underwater bubble plasma (UBP) activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) strategy for rapidly degrading the typical emerging contaminant tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) in water. The results indicate that, compared with UBP alone (41.1 %), the UBP-PMS system (98.6 %) exhibits significantly enhanced degradation ability, achieving a 57.5 % increase in TC degradation rate under identical conditions while enabling long-term self-purification of wastewater without energy input within this system. In addition, we studied the effects of initial TC concentration, the type of working gas, the initial pH value of the solution, and the water matrix on the degradation performance of the UBP-PMS system. The anti-interference performance of the UBP-PMS system is proven to be strong, as six inorganic anions (HCO₃⁻, CO₃²⁻, NO₃⁻, HPO₄²⁻, SO₄²⁻ and Cl⁻) are added respectively to simulate the actual water environment. The contribution of different reactive species to the degradation process was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by electron spin resonance (ESR) and scavenger experiments, of which the largest contribution was ^•OH, followed by ¹O₂, ONOOH/O₂^•-, SO₄^•‒ and hydrated electrons. The potential degradation pathways of TC were analyzed, and the toxicity of the degradation intermediates was evaluated by quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis, revealing a gradual reduction in TC toxicity under the co-treatment of UBP-PMS. This study provides a novel activation strategy involving UBP-PMS and provides valuable insights into the degradation properties and mechanisms of emerging pollutants in actual water bodies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 111668"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146035344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adsorption, transformation, biodegradation and potential ecological toxicity of iron-based nanoparticles in the aqueous environment","authors":"Yang Gao ,&nbsp;Xiaocheng Wei ,&nbsp;Jing Sun ,&nbsp;Shaohu Ouyang","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111600","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111600","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Iron-based nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) have wide environmental applications in various areas due to their excellent physicochemical properties, and these processes also increase their release into the water environment. However, the existing literature on environmental behavior fate (<em>e.g.</em>, sorption and transformation) and potential ecotoxicity of Fe-NPs remains limited, which is vital for understanding the Fe-NPs environmental behavior and application as a multifunctional product. In this review, the green synthesis, characterization, and environmental application of Fe-NPs are summarized. We systematically examined the impacts of Fe-NPs physicochemical properties on its adsorption, transformation (<em>e.g.</em>, aggregation dispersion, dissolution, oxidation), and biodegradation behavior in aqueous ecosystems. Moreover, we highlight the potential ecological toxicity of Fe-NPs to aquatic organisms. Upon exposure in water environments, Fe-NPs have potential ecological toxicity on aquatic organisms (<em>e.g.</em>, microorganisms, plants, zooplankton, and fish). The common mechanisms of Fe-NPs ecotoxicity (<em>e.g.</em>, bioaccumulation, oxidation stress, and DNA damage) at the cellular level are presented and the remaining unclear points on nano-toxic mechanisms (<em>e.g.</em>, metabolic disturbance, genotoxicity) are discussed. Given the unresolved issues, the substantial gaps and the environmental risk assessment of Fe-NPs require further attention in the future. This paper will provide useful information for assessing the fate and potential ecological risks associated with Fe-NPs in aquatic environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 111600"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146035420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harnessing chirality: A new dawn in inorganic nanomaterial synthesis and biomedical applications","authors":"Yue Pan ,&nbsp;Jing Ren ,&nbsp;Yifan Sun ,&nbsp;Luying Lu ,&nbsp;Jia Gao ,&nbsp;Liping Chen ,&nbsp;Shancheng Yan ,&nbsp;Zhiyang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110791","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110791","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chirality, a fundamental property of biological systems, is widely present at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. Current studies have shown that chiral inorganic nanomaterials, have good chiral optical activity as well as high enantioselectivity. When interacting with biological systems, the enantioselective behavior of chiral inorganic nanomaterials towards biomolecules can distinguish between different isomers of biomarkers, which, combined with the excellent optical activity of chiral inorganic nanomaterials, allows for the rapid and sensitive detection of biomarkers. Moreover, chiral inorganic nanomaterials exhibit stronger internalization and retention capabilities in cells, and by specifically targeting specific biomarkers can regulate cellular activity and catalyze related reactions, thereby achieving synergistic treatment of various diseases. In addition, chiral inorganic nanomaterials also have good biocompatibility and do not cause cell damage in living organisms. Moreover, chiral inorganic nanomaterials have programmable surfaces that can be tailored to suit specific biological functions. Due to the important role of chiral inorganic nanomaterials in the biomedical field, this paper summarizes and discusses the synthesis and biomedical applications of chiral inorganic nanomaterials. It further looks forward to its future development prospects to provide a reference for promoting relevant research on chiral inorganic nanomaterials in biomedical fields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 110791"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146035377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Achieving enhancing endosome escape of Tat47-57-derived stapled peptides through decafluorobiphenyl bridge","authors":"Shu Li ,&nbsp;Yuanyuan Tang ,&nbsp;Xiaojing Liu ,&nbsp;Shibo Song ,&nbsp;Baokang Zhu ,&nbsp;Min Chang ,&nbsp;Yali Peng","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111278","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111278","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) hold great potential as a tool using non-invasive delivery of therapeutic or diagnostic molecules into mammalian cells, but their broad application has been limited by poor endosomal escape. Thus, the rational design and selection of CPPs remains a challenge and calls for deeper mechanistic understandings. Here, we developed novel stapled cell-penetrating peptides based on the highly positively charged HIV Tat47-57 peptide using decafluorobiphenyl-cysteine S_NAr chemistry which selectively disrupt endosomal membranes. A series of stapled peptides with a cross-linked structure were synthesized and investigated their cellular uptake, endosomal escape and intracellular delivery of cargoes. Among these peptides, analogues P3 and P6 demonstrated the highest cellular uptake and endosomal escape activities with efficiencies 3.5−9-fold higher than that of Tat47-57. Notably, the results demonstrated that the decafluorobiphenyl bridge of stapled peptides exhibited significant ability for cellular uptake and endosomal escape. Moreover, we found that fluorine atoms of decafluorobiphenyl bridge played a key role for disrupting endosomal membranes. Finally, the utility of this strategy has been demonstrated by the intracellular delivery of biomacromolecules (avidin and negatively charged phosphopeptides). Together, these results suggest that the decafluorobiphenyl-cysteine S_NAr chemistry may be an efficient strategy for the development of novel stapled CPPs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 111278"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146035385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Facet engineering of NH2-MIL-125(Ti) for enhanced synergistic adsorption and photocatalysis reduction of U(VI) under visible light","authors":"Wenting Li ,&nbsp;Nina Wu ,&nbsp;Chengze Li ,&nbsp;Jin Guo ,&nbsp;Guangxun Zhang ,&nbsp;Huan Pang","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110733","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110733","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modulating the exposed facets of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is an effective strategy to enhance the synergistic effects between adsorption and photocatalytic reduction of U(VI). Herein, we successfully synthesized four morphologically distinct types of NH₂-MIL-125(Ti), offering insights into the impact of facet engineering on the combined adsorption and photoreduction of U(VI). An elevated exposure ratio of the {001} facet endows NH₂-MIL-125(Ti) with a larger surface area, enhanced light absorption, and efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Among the four photocatalysts (W, D, S and T), T with a high proportion of {001} facets, demonstrated outstanding adsorption-photocatalytic synergy, achieving over 97 % of U(VI) within 20 min of visible light irradiation across a broad concentrations and pH range, without requiring a hole-trapping agent. The uranium extraction mechanism involves U(VI) coordination and chelation with active sites during adsorption, followed by reduction to U(IV) <em>via</em> photogenerated electrons during photocatalysis. This study highlights the use of facet engineering to enhance adsorption and photocatalytic efficiency in MOF-based photocatalysts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 110733"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146035469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ferrate(VI) combined with sulfur(IV) as an effective process for aromatic organoarsenic degradation: Essential role of Fe(III) flocs","authors":"Chang Xu ,&nbsp;Mengfan Luo ,&nbsp;Jia Zhao ,&nbsp;Jialong Yin ,&nbsp;Can Feng ,&nbsp;Heng Zhang ,&nbsp;Peng Zhou ,&nbsp;Zhaokun Xiong ,&nbsp;Bo Lai","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111538","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111538","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study employed the ferrate(VI)/sulfur(IV) (Fe(VI)/S(IV)) system to degrade aromatic organoarsenic compounds, with a focus on elucidating the role of <em>in situ</em>-formed Fe(III) flocs. The introduction of S(IV) significantly enhanced oxidative degradation efficiency compared to Fe(VI) alone, achieving 94.8 % <em>p</em>-arsanilic acid (<em>p</em>-ASA) degradation within 3 min. The evolution of active species under varying S(IV) dosages was systematically investigated <em>via</em> radical quenching experiments and probe compound analysis. SO₄<strong>^•−</strong>, ^•OH and Fe(IV)/Fe(V) were identified as the dominant reactive species in the Fe(VI)/S(IV) system, with Fe(IV)/Fe(V) serving as the primary driver of <em>p</em>-ASA degradation. Characterization revealed that Fe(III) flocs contributed to arsenic (As) adsorption. While S(IV) addition altered the morphology and structure of Fe(III) flocs, these changes exerted negligible effects on As adsorption capacity. A plausible degradation pathway for <em>p</em>-ASA was proposed, supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and degradation product analysis. The system demonstrated robust resistance to common interfering ions, while the low toxicity of degradation byproducts highlighted its potential as a sustainable technology for AOCs elimination. This work elucidated structural modifications in Fe(III) flocs induced by S(IV) and underscored the pivotal role of Fe(IV)/Fe(V), positioning the Fe(VI)/S(IV) system as a promising strategy for AOCs degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 111538"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146035479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Orthogonal configurative dye 2-anthryl asymmetric aza-BODIPY enhancing SOCT-ISC for phototherapy","authors":"Shu Lv ,&nbsp;Xiuyan Gong ,&nbsp;Yunsheng Xue ,&nbsp;Gaowu Qin ,&nbsp;Xin-Dong Jiang ,&nbsp;Guiling Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111171","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111171","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Orthogonal molecular orbitals (MOs) of donor-acceptor (D-A) pairs favor the spin-orbit charge transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) transition, and herein 2-anthryl asymmetric aza-boradiazaindacene (aza-BODIPY) (AH-BDP) was designed and prepared. According to the X-ray crystallography, the steric hindrance in orthogonal molecule AH-BDP results in a large dihedral angle between the two MO planes. Since low Δ<em>E</em>_st prefers to undertake ISC and efficiently produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), the calculated Δ<em>E</em>_st for AH-BDP is 0.757 eV, significantly smaller than that of the aza-BDOPY without anthryl group DH-BDP (1.052 eV). AH-BDP as a heavy-atom-free photosensitizer not only produced the singlet oxygen, but also possessed photothermal conversion efficiency. Self-assembly AH-BDP nanoparticles (NPs) could efficiently induce HCT116 cells elimination in nude mice through ROS/heat-mediated pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10088,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Chemical Letters","volume":"37 4","pages":"Article 111171"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}