Abstract:Photosensitizers are the core substances in photodynamic therapy, which play a crucial role in improving the effect of photodynamic therapy and reducing side effects. However, traditional photosensitizers are prone to aggregation in vivo, which leads to the ACQ (aggregation-caused quenching) effect, resulting in a decrease in the fluorescence intensity and active oxygen generation efficiency of the photosensitizer. Meanwhile, the light absorption and emission wavelength range of traditional photosensitizers also has limitations. AIE (aggregation-induced emission) red-light emitting photosensitizers with high active oxygen production rate in the aggregated state, strong light tissue penetration ability, small background interference, low or even no toxicity to normal cells, etc. have broad application prospects in the field of photodynamic therapy. This review summarizes the design principles of AIE red-light emitting photosensitizers based on cyano, benzothiadiazole, and dipyrromethene fluoroborate electron-withdrawing groups and their relevant applications in photodynamic therapy, with the aim of providing reference for the more efficient and safer molecular design and application research of red-light emitting AIE photosensitizers.