Organogold(III) Complexes Display Conditional Photoactivities: Evolving From Photodynamic into Photoactivated Chemotherapy in Response to O Consumption for Robust Cancer Therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a spatiotemporally controllable, powerful approach in combating cancers but suffers from low activity under hypoxia, whereas photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) operates in an O -independent manner but compromises the ability to harness O for potent photosensitization. Herein we report that cyclometalated gold(III)-alkyne complexes display a PDT-to-PACT evolving photoactivity for efficient cancer treatment. On the one hand, the gold(III) complexes can act as dual photosensitizers and substrates, leading to conditional PDT activity in oxygenated condition that progresses to highly efficient PACT (ϕ up to 0.63) when O is depleted in solution and under cellular environment. On the other hand, the conditional PDT-to-PACT reactivity can be triggered by external photosensitizers in a similar manner in vitro and in vivo, giving additional tumor-selectivity and/or deep tissue penetration by red-light irradiation that leads to robust anticancer efficacy.