How Can Tungsten Diiodide Clusters Be Used in Photodynamic Therapy?

Tungsten diiodide clusters are used as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy. 

Tungsten diiodide clusters are integral structures formed by the combination of tungsten diiodide molecules, atoms, and ions. The arrangement of tungsten and iodine atoms in these clusters and their interactions affect the photophysical properties of the clusters, making them photoluminescent. In tungsten diiodide clusters, the electron transfer process between tungsten and iodine atoms plays a key role, and when the tungsten diiodide clusters are illuminated by light, energy is absorbed, resulting in a transition of electrons from the ground state to the excited state. In the excited state, the distribution and energy level structure of electrons change and a new electronic state is formed. The electron states of these excited states have different energy differences, and when the electron transitions from a high energy level to a low energy level, photons will be released, resulting in luminescence. This photoluminescent property can be used in photodynamic therapy to improve the accuracy of disease diagnosis.

Photodynamics refers to the dynamic process generated by the interaction of light and photosensitizers, which is mainly used in tumors, precancerous lesions, proliferative skin, and vascular diseases. In photodynamic therapy, photosensitizers are activated when exposed to specific wavelengths of light, which stimulates energy transfer to oxygen molecules, causing them to produce singlet oxygen. The high activity of singlet oxygen allows it to react with surrounding biomolecules, causing oxidative damage that can have a destructive or therapeutic effect on diseased tissue. Compared with tungsten diiodide clusters, hexanuclear molybdenum clusters are less stable in aqueous solution (half-life at physiological temperature is 52 min) and easy to precipitate in the medium, so their biological characteristics cannot be studied. Therefore, tungsten diiodide clusters with good stability and high photoluminescence become more suitable photosensitizer materials.

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