Near-infrared small molecular fluorescent dyes for photothermal therapy

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dyes based on small organic molecules are characterized with low cytotoxicity, good biocompatibility and minimum interference from auto-fluorescence background, which are widely used in tumor diagnosis. Intensive research on molecular properties and photothermal properties of fluorescent dyes have been explored for non-invasive photothermal treatment of cancer. In this review, we focus on the development of imaging-induced photothermal therapy of small molecules and classification according to the structures of organic molecules including cyanines, phthalocyanines, rhodamine analogues and BODIPYs. (C) 2019 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.