Bacteriochlorin e6 as a sensitizer for photodynamic therapy

A simple scheme of modification of the native pigment bacteriochlorophyll a, extracted from the biomass of phototropic bacteria, for the purpose of obtaining a water-soluble derivative — bacteriochlorin e₆ — which is similar in molecular structure to the effective sensitizer chlorin e₆ and, in addition, has an intense longwave absorption band in the near-infrared region of the spectrum where biological tissues weakly absorb light — has been developed. The ease of production of bacteriochlorin e₆ in combination with its physicochemical and spectral properties allow it to be considered as a promising sensitizer for photodynamic therapy.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 71, No. 6, pp. 745–748, November–December, 2004.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.