In vitro anticancer activity of AIEgens.

Fluorogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics (AIEgens) possess unique optical properties, design flexibility, and multi-functional capabilities and have established their niche as smart materials since their discovery in 2001. In recent years, AIEgens have found varied applications in sensing, imaging, and therapy in biomedical research. In this work, we systematically and comprehensively investigate the in vitro anticancer activity of AIEgens. We report the high cytotoxicity of AIEgens against cancer cells, especially against cancer stem cells (CSCs) which show high resistance to existing therapeutic drug regimens. Furthermore, we explore the role of AIEgens as novel image-guided chemotherapy agents that offer a new avenue for efficient cancer treatment.