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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/221188
Exploring the Phototherapeutic Applications of Mitochondria-Targeted COUPY Photocages of Antitumor Drugs
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Photocleavable protecting groups hold great promise in photopharmacology to control the release of bioactive molecules from their caged precursors within specific subcellular compartments. Herein, we describe a series of photocages based on a COUPY scaffold, incorporating chlorambucil (CLB) and 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) as bioactive payloads that can be efficiently activated with visible light. Confocal microscopy confirmed the preferential accumulation of CLB and 4-PBA N-hexyl COUPY photocages in the mitochondria, which exhibited aremarkable phototoxicity against cancer cells upon green-yellow light irradiation, with IC50 values in the nanomolar range. This effect was attributed to a synergistic mechanism involving the photorelease of the bioactive payloads and the intrinsic photogeneration of Type I and Type II ROS by the COUPY scaffold within mitochondria. Thus, COUPY-caged derivatives of CLB and 4-PBA underscore the potential of COUPY-caging groups as a versatile platform to develop innovative light-activated agents operating simultaneously through photodynamic therapy and photoactivated chemotherapy.
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LÓPEZ-CORRALES, Marta, et al. Exploring the Phototherapeutic Applications of Mitochondria-Targeted COUPY Photocages of Antitumor Drugs. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2025. ISSN 0022-2623. [consulted: 15 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/221188