High-power organic light-emitting diodes for photodynamic therapy in a mouse model of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Effective light delivery with precise control is critical for achieving safe and efficient photodynamic therapy (PDT). Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) represent an attractive novel light source for PDT due to their large-area, uniform irradiation, and conformal adaptability to irregular lesion geometries. However, conventional OLEDs suffer from low power density, which limits their therapeutic efficacy. In this study, we optimized the multilayer structure of an OLED device, achieving a stable light output of up to 60 mW/cm²—a significant advancement expected to facilitate the development of OLED-based PDT (OLED-PDT). In both in vitro and in vivo studies using an oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC-25) xenografted mouse model, the high-power OLED device demonstrated significant therapeutic efficacy. The treatment effectively suppresses tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis while inducing apoptosis, thereby inhibiting tumor progression. Moreover, OLED-PDT shows excellent biosafety, with no detectable damage to normal organs. These findings highlight the promising potential of high-power OLEDs as a next-generation light source for precise and safe PDT.