Microenvironment engineering in photosensitizer@MOF composites for enhanced singlet oxygen production

Microenvironment engineering in photosensitizer@MOF composites for enhanced singlet oxygen production Full article

Journal

Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers
ISSN: 2052-1553

Output data

Year: 2026, Volume: 13, Number: 15, Pages: 6492–6503 Pages count : 12 DOI: 10.1039/d6qi01124a

Authors

Tomilov Aleksandr S. ^1,2 , Yazikova Anastasiya A. ¹ , Klyamer Darya D. ³ , Basova Tamara V. ³ , Livanovich Kanstantsin S. ⁴ , Aidakova Kristina A. ^1,2 , Poryvaev Artem S. ¹ , Fedin Matvey V. ¹

Affiliations

1	International Tomography Center SB RAS, Institutskaya Str. 3a, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
2	Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova Str. 2, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
3	Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry SB RAS, Lavrentiev Pr. 3, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
4	Institute of Chemistry of New Materials, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, F. Skaryna Str. 36, 220141 Minsk, Belarus

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising cancer treatment strategy that utilizes reactive oxygen species (ROS) like singlet oxygen to destroy cancer cells. Photosensitizers are a cornerstone of this process, as they induce ROS production under light. Many widely studied photosensitizers, such as phthalocyanines, face serious limitations due to their low solubility and aggregation in biological media, resulting in suppressed photosensitization efficiency. Functionalization of photosensitizers and/or embedding them in various supporting materials are promising routes to overcome these challenges. In this work, we have encapsulated 3,4′,4″,4‴-tetrasulfonic acid copper phthalocyanine (TSCuPc) into ZIF-8 metal–organic framework (MOF) and studied the performance of such photosensitizing system in powders and suspensions. The type and production kinetics of photoinduced ROS were studied using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and spin traps DMPO and TEMP. Crucially, singlet oxygen generation was observed for TSCuPc@ZIF-8 suspension in water, a system modeling PDT in biological conditions. Encapsulation of photosensitizer in MOF cavities rich with adsorbed oxygen emerged as a crucial factor enhancing singlet oxygen generation efficiency. This effect observed for TSCuPc@ZIF-8 suspensions can be further utilized to engineer microenvironments of other photosensitizer@MOF composites and enhance their PDT performance.

Tomilov A.S. , Yazikova A.A. , Klyamer D.D. , Basova T.V. , Livanovich K.S. , Aidakova K.A. , Poryvaev A.S. , Fedin M.V.
Microenvironment engineering in photosensitizer@MOF composites for enhanced singlet oxygen production
Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers. 2026. V.13. N15. P.6492–6503. DOI: 10.1039/d6qi01124a WOS Scopus OpenAlex

Submitted:	May 21, 2026
Accepted:	Jun 29, 2026
Published online:	Jul 2, 2026
Published print:	Jul 28, 2026

≡ Web of science:	WOS:001812499400001
≡ Scopus:	2-s2.0-105043889414
≡ OpenAlex:	W7166802491