Photocaged prodrug under NIR light-triggering with dual-channel fluorescence: in vivo real-time tracking for precise drug delivery

Light-triggered drug delivery system is an effective strategy for precise diagnosis and therapy in cancer treatment. However, it suffers from difficultly balancing the dosimetry of drug with light dose and a lack of in vivo models for validating their clinical benefits. Here we report an unprecedented near-infrared (NIR) light photocaged cyanine-based prodrug Cy-CPT-Biotin with dual-channel fluorescence mode, enabling NIR light to precisely regulate where, when and how the intact and active prodrugs are delivered. The synergy of photochemical reaction and modulation in pi-conjugated polyene backbone of cyanine can fully perform distinct dual-channel fluorescence changes in a NIR light-mediated manner. The prodrug has striking characteristics of excellent tumor-targeting ability, real-time monitoring of the in vivo behaviors by dual-channel mode and NIR-light triggering, especially for achieving fine regulation and on-demand drug release in the precise dosimetry of drug with light dose in living animals. This optical orthogonality strategy that conjuncts with NIR light-triggered and dual-channel fluorescence in vivo imaging provides a powerful tool for in vivo real-time tracking and finely tuning the prodrug release for precise drug delivery.