A fluoride activated methylene blue releasing platform for imaging and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy of human dental plaque.

We report a F- activated methylene blue (MB) releasing platform for imaging and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). By utilizing this platform, one of the selected probes, FD-F3, displays a remarkable near-infrared fluorescence and absorption increase towards F- with good selectivity and low detection limit. This probe has been successfully applied for visualizing F- and performing F- activated aPDT in naturally grown human plaque biofilms.