Cell-penetrating riboflavin conjugate for antitumor photodynamic therapy

Riboflavin(RF,vitamin B2)is an essential vitamin and has been considered as a promising natural photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy(PDT).However,further exploration of RF in antitumor application was limited by its poor cellular uptake.In this study,using cell-penetrating peptides Arg8,(Cha-Arg)3 and small molecule triphenylphosphine(TPP)as delivery compounds,three RF conjugates were prepared to increase the accumulation of RF in cells,termed as Arg8-RF,(Cha-Arg)3-RF and TPP-RF,respectively.Compared with TPP-RF and Arg8-RF,(Cha-Arg)3-RF exhibited better cell internalization and stronger cytotoxicity against HeLa cells upon exposure to blue light.Further researches proved that(Cha-Arg)3-RF generated reactive oxygen species(ROS)under irradiation,which could indiscriminately destroy endogenous proteins and mitochondria,ultimately inducing cell death.This work provides a new approach to explore RF as a natural photosensitizer for antitumor photodynamic therapy.