LAUSR

This work reported a hypoxia activated fluorescent probe for tumor imaging by using self-immolative block copolymer with azobenzene linkage. The water-soluble polymer composed of self-immolative building blocks showed no obvious fluorescence. Under the hypoxic microenvironment of tumor cells, the azobenzene was reduced by the overexpressed azoreductase, which would trigger a domino-like disassembly of the self-immolative polymer. The released building blocks from the self-immolative polymer emitted strong fluorescence, which showed the potential application in tumor imaging. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.