Preparation of Conjugated Polymer Grafted with H2O2-Sensitive Prodrug for Cell Imaging and Tumor Cell Killing

In this work, a new conjugated polymer poly(fluorene-co-phenylene) derivative containing pendent quaternized chlormethine (PFP-Chl) was synthesized by covalent linking small molecular prodrug groups onto conjugated polymer side chains. H2O2-sensitive prodrug with an eight-member-cyclic boronate ester structure could suffer from H2O2-triggered nitrogen mustard release and further DNA cross-linking and alkylation. PFP-Chl combines therapeutic characteristic with excellent optical property of conjugated polymers. It is found that PFP-Chl could enter into cells by endocytosis to simultaneously exhibit abilities of fluorescent imaging and tumor cell inhibition.