Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2023, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (4): 612-623.doi: 10.1007/s40242-023-3127-9

• Reviews • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Progress of Porphyrin-based Nanoassemblies for Cancer Theranostics

WANG Mengyue, HUANG Guan, YOU Zhongqi, JIA Rixin, ZHONG Yong, BAI Feng   

  1. Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for High-efficiency Display and Lighting Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, P.R. China
  • Received:2023-05-16 Online:2023-08-01 Published:2023-07-18
  • Contact: ZHONG Yong, BAI Feng E-mail:yzhong@henu.edu.cn;10330010@henu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.21802032, U21A2085), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No. 2019TQ0081), the Zhongyuan High Level Talents Special Support Plan of China(No.204200510009), and the Project of Scientific and Technological Innovation Team in University of Henan Province, China(No.20IRTSTHN001).

Abstract: Porphyrins are indispensable in almost all forms of life. As photosensitizers, porphyrins have excellent imaging, photodynamic, photothermal, chemotherapeutic, and enzymatic properties, and play vital roles in biological diagnosis and therapy. However, the hydrophobicity of porphyrin molecules and the poor therapeutic effect of a single component on complex tumor systems hinder the applications of porphyrin monomers. Porphyrin assemblies could solve the problem of hydrophilicity and have good biocompatibility. First, this review briefly introduces the porphyrin self-assembly method, and the co-assembly of porphyrin and porphyrin, porphyrin and polymer, porphyrin and polypeptide, porphyrin and inorganic nanocrystals. The synergistic effect of co-assembly could solve the hydrophilia problem and achieve the enhanced functionalization. Then, the widened red shift of the spectrum, the increased yield, the increased drug loading, and the increased singlet oxygen yields are discussed. The research progresses of porphyrin-based assemblies in the direction of biological diagnosis and treatment are also reviewed. Finally, future perspectives and potential future research on the challenges are addressed.

Key words: Porphyrin, Supramolecular interaction, Self-assembly, Nanoassembly, Cancer, Imaging, Theranostics