# name
Exploring the Phototherapeutic Applications of Mitochondria-Targeted COUPY Photocages of Antitumor Drugs

# metadata.dc.description.abstract[].value
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.

# metadata.dc.source[].value
Articles publicats en revistes (Química Inorgànica i Orgànica)

# metadata.dc.title[].value
Exploring the Phototherapeutic Applications of Mitochondria-Targeted COUPY Photocages of Antitumor Drugs