Department of PhysicsDepartment of Chemistry2024-11-0920211011-134410.1016/j.jphotobiol.2021.1121712-s2.0-85102128562http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2021.112171https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/12051Dual phototherapy agents have attracted great interest in recent years as they offer enhanced cytotoxicity on cancer cells due to the synergistic effect of photodynamic and photothermal therapies (PDT/PTT). In this study, we demonstrate a brominated hemicyanine (HC-1), which is previously shown as mitochondria targeting PDT agent, can also serve as an effective photosensitizer for PTT for the first time under a single (640 nm or 808 nm) and dual laser (640 nm + 808 nm) irradiation. Generation of reactive oxygen species and photothermal conversion as a function of irradiation wavelength and power were studied. Both single wavelength irradiations caused significant phototoxicity in colon and cervical cancer cells after 5 min of irradiation. However, coirradiation provided near-complete elimination of cancer cells due to synergistic action. This work introduces an easily accessible small molecule-based synergistic phototherapy agent, which holds a great promise towards the realization of local, rapid and highly efficient treatment modalities against cancer.BiochemistryMolecular biologyBiophysicsJournal Article1873-26826364284000043325