Xanthene dyes for cancer imaging and treatment: A material odyssey

Cancer is still among the leading health issues today, considering cost, effectiveness, complexity of detection/treatment modalities and survival rates. One most important criteria for higher rates early sensitive diagnosis disease that can direct treatment effectively. Florescence imaging agents emerged as an alternative due to current state art their spatial temporal resolution, high sensitivity selectivity, ease modification towards generating activatable agents, operation, low cost. In addition imaging, light-based modality, photodynamic therapy (PDT), attained remarkable attention, it minimally invasive has fewer side effects compared standard care treatments. Even though fluorescence PDT have these significant advantages, light needs excite agent limited penetration in tissues, hindering widespread utilization. Hybrid xanthene dyes, particularly ones bearing silicon or phosphine oxide bridging unit moiety, gained interest not only excellent photochemical properties aqueous media, quantum yield, photostability but also proper absorption emission maxima allow deep tissue therapy. Here, design synthesis strategies, key photophysical properties, application applications, surprisingly utilization hybrid dyes last decade been reviewed detail.