Protease-mediated phototoxicity of a polylysine-chlorine6 conjugate

Photodynamic therapy with a molecular switch: Both singlet oxygen generation and near-infrared fluorescence from a photosensitizer were markedly decreased by conjugating multiple chlorine, photosensitizers onto a polypeptide backbone. Protease-mediated cleavage of the backbone results in the formation of degraded probes, which are highly phototoxic and fluorescent.