Molecular Engineering Boosts Photon‐Activated Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer Through Concurrent Pyroptosis and cGAS‐STING Pathway Activation

ABSTRACT Prostate cancer therapy is often limited by metastasis, drug resistance, and systemic toxicity. Photodynamic immunotherapy (PDIT) offers a promising alternative, yet its efficacy depends on photosensitizers that can simultaneously generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activate antitumor immunity. Herein, three thiophene (T) dyes based on triphenylamine (D) and N ‐ethyl‐benzoselenazolium iodide (Se) (DTSe)‐based photosensitizers were molecularly engineered by modulating the π‐conjugated structure. Incorporation of a carbazole unit affords DZTSe with suppressed fluorescence, enlarged Huang–Rhys factor, reduced singlet‐triplet energy gap, and prolonged triplet‐state lifetime, resulting in enhanced ROS generation. Notably, DZTSe exhibits multi‐organelle localization in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, concurrently inducing pyroptosis and activating the cGAS‐STING pathway. This dual stress‐immune activation reprograms the tumor microenvironment and enables effective eradication of primary tumors and suppression of distant lesions in vivo, providing a molecular blueprint for immune‐activating photosensitizers.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2026-07-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.4883627
Primary Topic
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Molecular Engineering Boosts Photon‐Activated Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer Through Concurrent Pyroptosis and cGAS‐STING Pathway Activation

Weijie Chi, JeongYeon Hong, Juyoung Yoon, Qixian Chen et al.
Angewandte Chemie
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
article

Molecular Engineering Boosts Photon‐Activated Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer Through Concurrent Pyroptosis and cGAS‐STING Pathway Activation

Weijie Chi, JeongYeon Hong, Juyoung Yoon, Qixian Chen, Haidong Li, Yi-Xiang Wang, Xiaolan Yin, Cheng Zhang
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Prostate cancer therapy is often limited by metastasis, drug resistance, and systemic toxicity. Photodynamic immunotherapy (PDIT) offers a promising alternative, yet its efficacy depends on photosensitizers that can simultaneously generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activate antitumor immunity. Herein, three thiophene (T) dyes based on triphenylamine (D) and N ‐ethyl‐benzoselenazolium iodide (Se) (DTSe)‐based photosensitizers were molecularly engineered by modulating the π‐conjugated structure. Incorporation of a carbazole unit affords DZTSe with suppressed fluorescence, enlarged Huang–Rhys factor, reduced singlet‐triplet energy gap, and prolonged triplet‐state lifetime, resulting in enhanced ROS generation. Notably, DZTSe exhibits multi‐organelle localization in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, concurrently inducing pyroptosis and activating the cGAS‐STING pathway. This dual stress‐immune activation reprograms the tumor microenvironment and enables effective eradication of primary tumors and suppression of distant lesions in vivo, providing a molecular blueprint for immune‐activating photosensitizers.

Angewandte Chemie
Ewha Womans University (KR), Hainan University (CN), Dalian University of Technology (CN), Dalian University (CN), Yangtze River Delta Physics Research Center (China) (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.