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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Jan 10.
Published in final edited form as: ACS Nano. 2015 Aug 27;9(10):9517–9527. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.5b03874

Scheme 1.

Scheme 1

Principle for enzyme-triggered supramolecular coassembly of 1 and 2. In vitro: Precursor 2 is converted to hydrogelator 3 via dephosphorylation catalyzed by ALP. These hydrogelators self-assemble in water to form nanofibers 4. Tumor or tissue mimic: 2 is catalyzed by a cellular phosphatase into 3, which is able to coassemble with 1 and form ICG-doped nanofibers 5. Within 5, 1 takes the J-aggregate arrangement, which is evidenced by the red-shifted and significantly enhanced absorbance. 5 shows partially self-quenched fluorescence and enhanced photoacoustic and photothermal signals. However, without self-assembly, 1 is excreted shortly via efflux pump. Upon laser irradiation, 5 can efficiently convert photons into tumor-damaging heat.