BODIPY Derivatives for Photodynamic Therapy: Influence of Configuration versus Heavy Atom Effect

Heavy atom effect and configuration are important for BODIPY derivatives to generate singlet oxygen (1O2) for photodynamic therapy. Herein, a series of BODIPY derivatives with different halogens were synthesized. 1O2 quantum yields (QYs) and MTT assay confirm that incorporation of more heavy atoms onto dimeric BODIPY cannot effectively enhance the 1O2 QYs. Rather, the dark toxicity increases. This phenomenon can be attributed to the competition...