Recent progress in studies of photocages

Abstract

Photocages are a class of substances containing photosensitive groups, also known as “photoremovable protecting groups”, from which target substances are released upon exposure to specific wavelengths of light. The substances released in the light‐promoted processes have chemical or biological properties that enable them to carry specifically designed functions. As a result, photocages can be utilized in various fields such as chemistry, biology, and medicine. In this paper, progress made in research carried out in recent years aimed at developing photocage molecules with different photosensitive moieties is reviewed.