Innovative Design Strategies Advance Biomedical Applications of Phthalocyanines

Owing to their long absorption wavelengths, high molar absorptivity, and tunable photosensitivity, phthalocyanines have been widely used in photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, phthalocyanines still face the drawbacks of poor targeting, always-on photosensitizing properties, and unsatisfactory therapeutic efficiency, which limit their wide applications in biomedical fields. Thus, new design strategies such as modification of targeting molecules, formation of nanoparticles, and activating photosensitizers are developed to improve the above defects. Notably, recent studies have shown that novel phthalocyanines are not only used in fluorescence imaging and PDT, but also in photoacoustic imaging, photothermal imaging, sonodynamic therapy, and photothermal therapy. This review focuses on recent design strategies, applications in biomedicine, and clinical development of phthalocyanines, providing ideas and references for the design and application of phthalocyanine, so as to promote their future transformation into clinical applications.

Automated summary

Due to their long absorption wavelengths, high molar absorptivity, and tunable photosensitivity, phthalocyanines have been widely used in photodynamic therapy. However, they still suffer from poor targeting, always-on photosensitizing properties, and unsatisfactory therapeutic efficiency, hindering their broad applications in biomedicine. Therefore, new design strategies such as modification of targeting molecules, formation of nanoparticles, and activation of photosensitizers have been developed to overcome these limitations. Recent studies have also demonstrated the diverse applications of novel phthalocyanines in fluorescence imaging, photoacoustic imaging, photothermal imaging, sonodynamic therapy, and photothermal therapy. This review focuses on the design strategies, biomedical applications, and clinical development of phthalocyanines, offering insights and references for their future translation into clinical practice.