Novel NIR-II 3,5-Julolidinyl aza-BODIPY for Photothermal Therapy of Gliomas Stem Cells by Brain Stereotactic Injection

Functional dyes with absorption in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II) show great promise in photothermal therapy. Herein, the novel NIR-II 3,5-julolidinyl aza-BODIPY (JLD) was prepared and confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis for the first time. The molecular packing structure facilitates the J-aggregation packing mode. Self-assembled JLD-nanoparticles (JLD-NPs) emit fluorescence (λem = 962 nm, Φf = 0.1%), and a peak belt covered a NIR-II range of 900–1300 nm. The photothermal conversion efficiency was high and was calculated to be 79%. JLD-NPs with NIR-II 915 nm laser irradiation had the good tumor-inhibition capability with promoting the apoptosis and inhibiting the stemness of glioblastoma cells by brain stereotactic injection and affect the occurrence of malignant events, such as migration and invasion.