Photodynamic Therapy Mediated by 5‐aminolevulinic Acid Promotes the Upregulation and Modifies the Intracellular Expression of Surveillance Proteins in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Expression of proteins related to cell surveillance has been described in tumors presenting resistance to photodynamic therapy (PDT). The aim of this study was to verify whether there was upregulation of proteins related to resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) after PDT. OSCC was chemically induced in rats and treated after one cycle of PDT mediated by 5‐aminolevulinic acid (5‐ALA‐PDT). Immunolabeling of p‐NFκB, Bcl‐2, survivin, iNOS, p‐Akt, p‐mTOR and cyclin D1 was performed after the treatment. There was increased expression of Bcl‐2 (P = 0.008), iNOS (P = 0.020), p‐Akt (P = 0.020) and p‐mTOR (P = 0.010) by surviving neoplastic cells after PDT when compared to the control. In conclusion, after one cycle of 5‐ALA‐mediated PDT, Bcl‐2, p‐Akt, p‐mTOR and iNOS were upregulated in neoplastic cells of OSCC, suggesting an activation of antiapoptosis and cell proliferation pathways. This fact must be considered in the establishment of PDT protocols for OSCC treatment, mainly those in which PDT will be combined with chemotherapy drugs targeted at the studied proteins.     

Elucidation of the Intersystem Crossing Mechanism in a Helical BODIPY for Low‐Dose Photodynamic Therapy

Intersystem crossing (ISC) of triplet photosensitizers is a vital process for fundamental photochemistry and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Herein, we report the co‐existence of efficient ISC and long triplet excited lifetime in a heavy atom‐free bodipy helicene molecule. Via theoretical computation and time‐resolved EPR spectroscopy, we confirmed that the ISC of the bodipy results from its twisted molecular structure and reduced symmetry. The twisted bodipy shows intense long wavelength absorption (?=1.76×10⁵ m ^?1 cm^?1 at 630 nm), satisfactory triplet quantum yield (Φ_T=52 %), and long‐lived triplet state (τ_T=492 μs), leading to unprecedented performance as a triplet photosensitizer for PDT. Moreover, nanoparticles constructed with such helical bodipy show efficient PDT‐mediated antitumor immunity amplification with an ultra‐low dose (0.25 μg kg^?1), which is several hundred times lower than that of the existing PDT reagents.     

Luminol Chemiluminescence Reports Photodynamic Therapy‐Generated Neutrophil Activity In Vivo and Serves as a Biomarker of Therapeutic Efficacy

Inflammatory cells, most especially neutrophils, can be a necessary component of the antitumor activity occurring after administration of photodynamic therapy. Generation of neutrophil responses has been suggested to be particularly important in instances when the delivered photodynamic therapy (PDT) dose is insufficient. In these cases, the release of neutrophil granules and engagement of antitumor immunity may play an important role in eliminating residual disease. Herein, we utilize in vivo imaging of luminol chemiluminescence to noninvasively monitor neutrophil activation after PDT administration. Studies were performed in the AB12 murine model of mesothelioma, treated with Photofrin‐PDT. Luminol‐generated chemiluminescence increased transiently 1 h after PDT, followed by a subsequent decrease at 4 h after PDT. The production of luminol signal was not associated with the influx of Ly6G⁺ cells, but was related to oxidative burst, as an indicator of neutrophil function. Most importantly, greater levels of luminol chemiluminescence 1 h after PDT were prognostic of a complete response at 90 days after PDT. Taken together, this research supports an important role for early activity by Ly6G⁺ cells in the generation of long‐term PDT responses in mesothelioma, and it points to luminol chemiluminescence as a potentially useful approach for preclinical monitoring of neutrophil activation by PDT.     

Tweaking the affinity of aryl‐substituted diazosalicylato‐ and pyridine ligands towards Zn (II) and its neighbors in the periodic system of the elements,Cu (II) and Cd (II), and their antimicrobial activity

A series of six new Zn (II) compounds, viz., [Zn(HL^ASA)₂(Py)₂] ( 1 ), [Zn(HL^MASA)₂(Py)₂] ( 2 ), [Zn(HL^MASA)₂(4‐MePy)₂] ( 3 ), [Zn(HL^CASA)₂(4‐MePy)₂] ( 4 ), [Zn(HL^BASA)₂(Py)₂] ( 5 ), [Zn(HL^BASA)₂(4‐MePy)₂] ( 6 ) and representative Cu (II) and Cd (II) complexes, viz., [Cu(HL^ASA)₂(Py)₂(H₂O)] ( 7 ) and [Cd(HL^BASA)₂(Py)₃] ( 8 ) [(HL^XASA)^? = para‐substituted 5‐[(E)‐2‐(aryl)‐1‐diazenyl]‐2‐hydroxybenzoate with X = H (ASA), Me (MASA), Cl (CASA) or Br (BASA); Py = pyridine; 4‐MePy = 4‐methylpyridine] have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. The structural characterization of the compounds revealed distorted tetrahedral ( 1 – 6 ), square‐pyramidal ( 7 ) and pentagonal‐bipyramidal ( 8 ) coordination geometries around the metal atom, in which the aryl‐substituted diazosalicylate ligands are coordinated only through the oxygen atoms of carboxylate groups, either in an anisobidentate or isobidentate mode; meanwhile, the 2‐hydroxy groups of the monoanionic ligand (HL^XASA)^? are involved only in intramolecular O‐H···O hydrogen bonds with the carboxylate function. In the crystal structures of 1 – 8 , the complex molecules are assembled by π‐stacking interactions giving mostly infinite 1D strands. The intermolecular binding in the solid state structures is accomplished by diverse additional non‐covalent contacts including C‐H···O, C‐H···N, C‐H···π, C‐H···Br, O···Br, Br···π and van der Waals contacts. Although the primary and secondary ligands in the Zn (II) complex series 1 – 6 carry different substituents at the periphery (X = H, Me, Cl, Br for (HL^XASA)^? and R = H, Me for 4‐Py‐R), five of the crystal structures were isostructural. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity of the pro‐ligands H₂L^XASA and their Zn (II), Cu (II) and Cd (II) compounds were studied in a comparative manner, showing high sensitivity (IZD ≥ 20) against Bacillus subtilis.     

Synthesis,Nematicidal Activity,and 3D‐QSAR of Novel 1,3,4‐Oxadiazole/ Thiadiazole Thioether Derivatives

Forty one novel 1,3,4‐oxadiazole/thiadiazole thioether derivatives containing phenoxy moiety were designed and synthesized. Bioassay demonstrated that some of them showed remarkable activities against Tylenchulus semipenetrans in vitro and in vivo. Compounds 20 , 21 , 35 and 39 showed excellent lethal activities after treatment for 48 h in vitro, with LC₅₀ values of 13.4 ± 1.8, 11.7 ± 2.5, 13.7 ± 2.4 and 13.3 ± 1.1 mg·L^–1, respectively, which were obviously superior to fosthiazate (49.1 ± 2.8 mg·L^–1) and avermectin (26.6 ± 2.3 mg·L^–1). Compound 21 can effectively control the citrus nematode disease caused by T. semipenetrans at 200 mg·L^–1 in vivo with (68 ± 3)% inhibitory effect, which was even better than that of avermectin ((63 ± 2)%). The CoMFA and CoMSIA models of three‐dimensional quantitative structure‐activity relationships (3D‐QSARs) were established. The compound 33 was designed based on the 3D‐QSAR models with more vigorous nematicidal activities in vitro (LC₅₀ = 9.8 ± 1.4 mg·L^–1) and in vivo ((70 ± 5)%). These results demonstrated that compound 33 can be considered as a potential nematicide.     

铀(Ⅵ)与不对称希夫碱配合物的合成和热分解反应动力学

邻苯二胺与5－氯－2－羟基二苯酮、邻香草醛作用合成了一种不对称希夫碱配体C₂₇H₂₁N₂O₃Cl（H₂L）。在正丁醇和甲醇体系中硝酸铀酰与该配体反应合成了一种固体希夫碱配合物[UO₂(HL)(NO₃)(H₂O)]·H₂O。通过元素分析、IR、UV、¹H NMR、TG-DTG及摩尔电导率分析等手段对合成的配合物进行了表征,用非等温热重法研究了铀(Ⅵ)配合物的热分解反应动力学,推断出第三步热分解的动力学方程为：d α /d t = A · e^{- E/RT} ·3/2[(1- α )^-1/3-1]^-1,得到了动力学参数E和A。并计算出了活化熵△S^¹和活化吉布斯自由能△G^¹。     

Dual‐Mode Antibacterial Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles for Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapy

In this work, dual‐mode antibacterial conjugated polymer nanoparticles (DMCPNs) combined with photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are designed and explored for efficient killing of ampicillin‐resistant Escherichia coli (Amp^r E. coli). The DMCPNs are self‐assembled into nanoparticles with a size of 50.4 ± 0.6 nm by co‐precipitation method using the photothermal agent poly(diketopyrrolopyrrole‐thienothiophene) (PDPPTT) and the photosensitizer poly[2‐methoxy‐5‐((2‐ethylhexyl)oxy)‐p‐phenylenevinylene] (MEH‐PPV) in the presence of poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride) which makes nanoparticles disperse well in water via hydrophobic interactions. Thus, DMCPNs simultaneously possess photothermal effect and the ability of sensitizing oxygen in the surrounding to generate reactive oxygen species upon the illumination of light, which could easily damage resistant bacteria. Under combined irradiation of near‐infrared light (550 mW cm^?2, 5 min) and white light (65 mW cm^?2, 5 min), DMCPNs with a concentration of 9.6 × 10^?4 µm could reach a 93% inhibition rate against Amp^r E. coli, which is higher than the efficiency treated by PTT or PDT alone. The dual‐mode nanoparticles provide potential for treating pathogenic infections induced by resistant microorganisms in clinic.     

氢过碘酸）合银（III）配离子氧化L-脯氨酸的反应动力学及机理

L-脯氨酸独有的亚胺基使其在生物医药领域具有许多独特的功能,并广泛用作不对称有机化合物合成的有效催化剂。本文在碱性介质中研究了二（氢过碘酸）合银（III）配离子氧化 L-脯氨酸的反应。经质谱鉴定,脯氨酸氧化后的产物为脯氨酸脱羧生成的 γ-氨基丁酸盐;氧化反应对脯氨酸及Ag(III) 均为一级;二级速率常数 k′ 随 [IO₄^-] 浓度增加而减小,而与 [OHˉ] 的浓度几乎无关;推测反应机理应包括 [Ag(HIO₆)₂]^5-与 [Ag(HIO₆)(H₂O)(OH)]^2-之间的前期平衡,两种Ag（III）配离子均作为反应的活性组分,在速控步被完全去质子化的脯氨酸平行地还原,两速控步对应的活化参数为： k₁ (25 ^oC)＝1.87±0.04（mol·L^-1)^-1s^-1,∆ H₁^≠＝45±4 kJ · mol^-1, ∆ S₁^≠＝-90±13 J· K^-1·mol^-1 and k₂ (25 ^oC) ＝3.2±0.5（mol·L^-1)^-1s^-1, ∆ H₂^≠＝34±2 kJ · mol^-1, ∆ S₂^≠＝-122 ±10 J· K^-1·mol^-1。本文第一次发现 [Ag(HIO₆)₂]^5-配离子也具有氧化反应活性。     

Reactive Oxygen Species Explicit Dosimetry for Photofrin-mediated Pleural Photodynamic Therapy

Explicit dosimetry of treatment light fluence and implicit dosimetry of photosensitizer photobleaching are commonly used methods to guide dose delivery during clinical PDT. Tissue oxygen, however, is not routinely monitored intraoperatively even though it is one of the three major components of treatment. Quantitative information about in vivo tissue oxygenation during PDT is desirable, because it enables reactive oxygen species explicit dosimetry (ROSED) for prediction of treatment outcome based on PDT-induced changes in tumor oxygen level. Here, we demonstrate ROSED in a clinical setting, Photofrin-mediated pleural photodynamic therapy, by utilizing tumor blood flow information measured by diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS). A DCS contact probe was sutured to the pleural cavity wall after surgical resection of pleural mesothelioma tumor to monitor tissue blood flow (blood flow index) during intraoperative PDT treatment. Isotropic detectors were used to measure treatment light fluence and photosensitizer concentration. Blood-flow-derived tumor oxygen concentration, estimated by applying a preclinically determined conversion factor of 1.5 × 10⁹ μMs cm⁻² to the blood flow index, was used in the ROSED model to calculate the total reacted reactive oxygen species [ROS]rx. Seven patients and 12 different pleural sites were assessed and large inter- and intrapatient heterogeneities in [ROS]rx were observed although an identical light dose of 60 J cm⁻² was prescribed to all patients.     

Hydrogen Peroxide Enhances the Antibacterial Effect of Methylene Blue‐based Photodynamic Therapy on Biofilm‐forming Bacteria

Recently, increased attention has been focused on endoscopic disinfection after outbreaks of drug‐resistant infections associated with gastrointestinal endoscopy. The aims of this study were to investigate the bactericidal efficacy of methylene blue (MB)‐based photodynamic therapy (PDT) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), which is the major cause of drug‐resistant postendoscopy outbreak, and to assess the synergistic effects of hydrogen peroxide addition to MB‐based PDT on biofilms. In planktonic state of P. aeruginosa, the maximum decrease was 3 log₁₀ and 5.5 log₁₀ at 20 and 30 J cm^?2, respectively, following MB‐based PDT. However, the maximum reduction of colony forming unit (CFU) was decreased by 2.5 log₁₀ and 3 log₁₀ irradiation on biofilms. The biofilm formation was significantly inhibited upon irradiation with MB‐based PDT. When the biofilm state of P. aeruginosa was treated with MB‐based PDT with hydrogen peroxide, the CFU was significantly decreased by 6 log₁₀ after 20 J cm^?2, by 7 log₁₀ after 30 J cm^?2 irradiation, suggesting significantly higher efficacy than MB‐based PDT alone. The implementation of the combination of hydrogen peroxide with MB‐based PDT through working channels might be appropriate for preventing early colonization and biofilm formation in the endoscope and postendoscopy outbreak.     

Monitoring Singlet Oxygen and Hydroxyl Radical Formation with Fluorescent Probes During Photodynamic Therapy

Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) is the primary oxidant generated in photodynamic therapy (PDT) protocols involving sensitizers resulting in type II reactions. ¹O₂ can give rise to additional reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as the hydroxyl radical (^?OH). The current study was designed to assess 3′‐p‐(aminophenyl) fluorescein (APF) and 3′‐p‐(hydroxyphenyl) fluorescein (HPF) as probes for the detection of ¹O₂ and ^?OH under conditions relevant to PDT. Cell‐free studies indicated that both APF and HPF were converted to fluorescent products following exposure to ¹O₂ generated by irradiation of a water‐soluble photosensitizing agent (TPPS) and that APF was 35‐fold more sensitive than HPF. Using the ¹O₂ probe singlet oxygen sensor green (SOSG) we confirmed that 1 mm NaN₃ quenched ¹O₂‐induced APF/HPF fluorescence, while 1% DMSO had no effect. APF and HPF also yielded a fluorescent product upon interacting with ^?OH generated from H₂O₂ via the Fenton reaction in a cell‐free system. DMSO quenched the fluorogenic interaction between APF/HPF and ^?OH at doses as low as 0.02%. Although NaN₃ was expected to quench ^?OH‐induced APF/HPF fluorescence, co‐incubating NaN₃ with APF or HPF in the presence of ^?OH markedly enhanced fluorescence. Cultured L1210 cells that had been photosensitized with benzoporphyhrin derivative exhibited APF fluorescence immediately following irradiation. Approximately 50% of the cellular fluorescence could be suppressed by inclusion of either DMSO or the iron‐chelator desferroxamine. Combining the latter two agents did not enhance suppression. We conclude that APF can be used to monitor the formation of both ¹O₂ and ^?OH in cells subjected to PDT if studies are performed in the presence and absence of DMSO, respectively. That portion of the fluorescence quenched by DMSO will represent the contribution of ^?OH. This procedure could represent a useful means for evaluating formation of both ROS in the context of PDT.     

Determination of Cyanuric Acid in Milk Powder and Swimming Pool Water by Ion‐pair Reversed‐phase Liquid Chromatography

An ion‐pair reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatographic method, using tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) as ion‐pair reagent, has been developed for the analysis of cyanuric acid (CA) in milk powder and swimming pool water. It was found that the effect of the concentrations of ion‐pair reagent on the retention of cyanuric acid was different for standard solution and different real samples. The separation was carried out on a reversed‐phase C₁₈ column with 85:15 (V/V) water‐acetonitrile (ACN) containing different concentration of TBAB as mobile phase for different samples. The linear range of the calibration curve for CA was 0.1–100 mg·L^?1. The detection limits calculated at S/N=3 was 0.11 mg·L^?1 for the analysis of milk powder and 0.31 mg·L^?1 for the analysis of swimming pool water, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of CA in milk powder and swimming pool water.     

Measurement of Intracellular Oxygen Concentration During Photodynamic Therapy in vitro

A technique is introduced that monitors the depletion of intracellular ground state oxygen concentration ([³O₂]) during photodynamic therapy of Mat‐LyLu cell monolayers and cell suspensions. The photosensitizer Pd(II) meso‐tetra(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphine (PdT790) is used to manipulate and indicate intracellular [³O₂] in both of the in vitro models. The Stern–Volmer relationship for PdT790 phosphorescence was characterized in suspensions by flowing nitrogen over the suspension while short pulses of 405 nm light were used to excite the sensitizer. The bleaching of sensitizer and the oxygen consumption rate were also measured during continuous exposure of the cell suspension to the 405 nm laser. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) was conducted in both cell suspensions and in cell monolayers under different treatment conditions while the phosphorescence signal was acquired. The intracellular [³O₂] during PDT was calculated by using the measured Stern–Volmer relationship and correcting for sensitizer photobleaching. In addition, the amount of oxygen that was consumed during the treatments was calculated. It was found that even at large oxygen consumption rates, cells remain well oxygenated during PDT of cell suspensions. For monolayer treatments, it was found that intracellular [³O₂] is rapidly depleted over the course of PDT.     

二元无机物标准熵 So298的拓扑研究

为了预测二元无机物的标准熵,基于分子图的连接矩阵和离子参数gi、qi,提出了一种新的连接性指数mQ, mG及其逆指数mQ’, mG’。 qi、gi定义为：qi=(1.1+Zi1.1) /(1.7+ni), gi=(1.4+Zi) /(0.9+ri+ri-1),其中Zi 、ni和 ri分别代表离子i的电荷数、最外层主量子数和半径。从0Q, 0Q’, 1G,和1G’,利用多元线性回归分析方法和人工神经网络方法,可以构建优良的QSPR模型。对371个二元无机物,其多元线性模型及神经网络模型的相关系数、标准偏差和平均绝对偏差分别是：0.9905, 8.29 J.K-1.mol-1, 6.48 J. K-1.mol-1, 0.9960, 5.37 J.K-1.mol-1 和 3.90 J.K-1.mol-1。留一法交叉验证表明,其多元线性模型具有良好的稳定性。两个模型对187个未进入模型的二元无机物的标准熵的预测值和实验值之间的相关系数、标准偏差和平均绝对偏差分别是：0.9897, 8.64 J. K-1.mol-1, 6.84 J. K-1.mol-1, 0.9957, 5.63 J.K-1.mol-1, 和 4.18 J.K-1.mol-1。研究表明,本文方法在预测二元无机物标准熵时比文献方法更有效,两种模型均能较精确的预测二元无机物的标准熵,且神经网络模型的预测结果更精确。     

Silica‐based magnetic hybrid nanocomposite for the extraction and preconcentration of some organophosphorus pesticides before gas chromatography

The precise control of pesticide residues in foodstuffs depends significantly on the clean extraction of analytes using specifically designed separation methods. In this study, a one‐pot sol–gel process was used for the preparation of a magnetic hybrid silica gel tetraethylortho silicate‐cyanopropyltriethoxy silane nanocomposite. The prepared material was characterized using energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, single‐point specific surface area, and scanning electron microcopy. The synthesized magnetic hybrid material was used as a solid phase extraction sorbent for the extraction and preconcentration of some organophosphorus pesticides before gas chromatography with a microelectron capture detector. The performance of the proposed magnetic solid‐phase extraction technique was validated by linearity (0.05–2 ng/mL), correlation coefficients (r² = 0.9993–0.9997), limit of detection (0.02–0.06 ng/mL, S/N = 3, n = 3), and intraday (RSD = 1.5–8.7%, n = 3) and interday precision (RSD = 5.5–9.3%, n = 12), while the recovery in real samples and equilibrium adsorption capacity was 72.02–103.84% and 8–20 mg/g, respectively. The magnetic solid‐phase extraction based on the hybrid nanocomposite revealed a high enrichment factor, an appropriate dynamic range, and great absorptive ability toward the selected organophosphorus pesticides spiked in real water samples.     

Non-isothermal Decomposition Kinetics, Specific Heat Capac-ity and Adiabatic Time-to-explosion of a High Energy Material: 4,6-Bis(5-amino-3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-5-nitropyrimidine

The thermal behavior of 4,6‐bis‐(5‐amino‐3‐nitro‐1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)‐5‐nitropyrimidine (BANTNP) was studied under a non‐isothermal condition by DSC, PDSC and TG/DTG methods. The kinetic parameters (E_a and A) of the exothermic decomposition reaction are 304.52 kJ·mol^?1 and 10^24.47 s^?1 at 0.1 MPa, 272.52 kJ·mol^?1 and 10^21.76 s^?1 at 5.0 MPa, respectively. The kinetic equation at 0.1 MPa can be expressed as: dα/dT=10^25.3(1?α)^3/4exp(?3.8044×10⁴/T)/β The critical temperature of thermal explosion is 588.28 K. The specific heat capacity of BANTNP was determined with a Micro‐DSC method, and the standard molar specific heat capacity is 397.54 J·mol^?1·K^?1 at 298.15 K. The adiabatic time‐to‐explosion of BANTNP was calculated to be 11.75 s.     

Comparative Antibacterial Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy and Ultrasonic Irrigation Against Enterococcus faecalis In Vitro

Enterococcus faecalis poses a challenge to the efficacy of traditional root canal disinfection methods. This study was aimed to establish a synergistic root canal disinfection strategy combining ultrasonic irrigation with photodynamic therapy (PDT) together and to test its antibacterial efficacy against E. faecalis. Twenty‐seven bovine root canals infected with E. faecalis were randomly divided into three groups and treated with different disinfection methods as follows: ultrasonic irrigation with 2.5% NaOCl, methylene blue (MB)‐mediated PDT, or combined ultrasonic irrigation and PDT as described above. Quantification of E. faecalis was performed on the root canals before and immediately after the disinfection treatment. Residual bacteria were determined by counting colony‐forming units. Samples were randomly selected from the three groups, and the morphology of residual bacteria inside the dentinal tubules was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The number of surviving E. faecalis in the group treated with the combination method was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those in the ultrasonic irrigation‐treated or PDT‐treated groups. Similar results were found in the morphological studies of the three groups. The results of our study highlighted the importance of combination of ultrasonic irrigation and PDT to produce significant antibacterial efficacy against E. faecalis during root canal disinfection.     

1-氨基-1-肼基-2,2-二硝基乙烯（AHDNE）的非等温分解动力学，比热容和绝热至爆时间研究

利用DSC和TG/DTG法研究了1-氨基-1-肼基-2,2-二硝基乙烯（AHDNE）热分解行为及分解动力学,第一热分解过程的动力学方程为： ,其热爆炸临界温度为98.16 ºC。同时,利用微量热法测定了AHDNE的比热容,298.15K时的标准摩尔比热容为211.86 J•mol-1•K-1。计算得到了AHDNE的绝热至爆时间为59.21 s。AHDNE是不稳定的,其热稳定性远低于母体化合物FOX-7。     

Molecular Electronic Tuning of Photosensitizers to Enhance Photodynamic Therapy: Synthetic Dicyanobacteriochlorins as a Case Study

Photophysical, photostability, electrochemical and molecular‐orbital characteristics are analyzed for a set of stable dicyanobacteriochlorins that are promising photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). The bacteriochlorins are the parent compound (BC), dicyano derivative (NC)₂BC and corresponding zinc (NC)₂BC‐Zn and palladium chelate (NC)₂BC‐Pd. The order of PDT activity against HeLa human cancer cells in vitro is (NC)₂BC‐Pd > (NC)₂BC > (NC)₂BC‐Zn ≈ BC. The near‐infrared absorption feature of each dicyanobacteriochlorin is bathochromically shifted 35–50 nm (748–763 nm) from that for BC (713 nm). Intersystem crossing to the PDT‐active triplet excited state is essentially quantitative for (NC)₂BC‐Pd. Phosphorescence from (NC)₂BC‐Pd occurs at 1122 nm (1.1 eV). This value and the measured ground‐state redox potentials fix the triplet excited‐state redox properties, which underpin PDT activity via Type‐1 (electron transfer) pathways. A perhaps counterintuitive (but readily explicable) result is that of the three dicyanobacteriochlorins, the photosensitizer with the shortest triplet lifetime (7 μs), (NC)₂BC‐Pd has the highest activity. Photostabilities of the dicyanobacteriochlorins and other bacteriochlorins studied recently are investigated and discussed in terms of four phenomena: aggregation, reduction, oxidation and chemical reaction. Collectively, the results and analysis provide fundamental insights concerning the molecular design of PDT agents.     

A Comparison of Dose Metrics to Predict Local Tumor Control for Photofrin‐mediated Photodynamic Therapy

This preclinical study examines light fluence, photodynamic therapy (PDT) dose and “apparent reacted singlet oxygen,” [¹O₂]_rx, to predict local control rate (LCR) for Photofrin‐mediated PDT of radiation‐induced fibrosarcoma (RIF) tumors. Mice bearing RIF tumors were treated with in‐air fluences (50–250 J cm^?2) and in‐air fluence rates (50–150 mW cm^?2) at Photofrin dosages of 5 and 15 mg kg^?1 and a drug‐light interval of 24 h using a 630‐nm, 1‐cm‐diameter collimated laser. A macroscopic model was used to calculate [¹O₂]_rx and PDT dose based on in vivo explicit dosimetry of the drug concentration, light fluence and tissue optical properties. PDT dose and [¹O₂]_rx were defined as a temporal integral of drug concentration and fluence rate, and singlet oxygen concentration consumed divided by the singlet oxygen lifetime, respectively. LCR was stratified for different dose metrics for 74 mice (66 + 8 control). Complete tumor control at 14 days was observed for [¹O₂]_rx ≥ 1.1 mm or PDT dose ≥1200 μm J cm^?2 but cannot be predicted with fluence alone. LCR increases with increasing [¹O₂]_rx and PDT dose but is not well correlated with fluence. Comparing dosimetric quantities, [¹O₂]_rx outperformed both PDT dose and fluence in predicting tumor response and correlating with LCR.