Photodynamic therapy and anti-tumour immunity

Haematoporphyrin based photodynamic therapy combined with hyperthermia provided effective therapeutic vaccine effect against colon cancer growth in mice

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has become an attractive option used in tumor treatment via its direct tumoricidal activities or its immune-boosting activities. On the other hand, heat shock protein 70 has been found to be largely associated with the establishment of anti-tumor activities offered by hyperthermia treated tumor cells. In the present study, we found that injection of tumor-bearing mice with colon cancer cell line CT-26 treated with haematoporphyrin based photodynamic therapy (hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether based PDT, HMME-PDT) together with hyperthermia demonstrated the most effective therapeutic effects against tumor growth, followed by cells treated by hyperthermia alone. CT-26 cells treated only with HMME-PDT failed to provide any therapeutic effects, although significant cell death was induced by HMME-PDT. Compared to hyperthermia treatment, HMME-PDT induced more efficient surface localization of HSP70 on CT-26 cells which correlated with efficient activation of cytolytic CD8 T cells and with effective anti-tumor responses. Thus, our study demonstrated that the surface expression of HSP70 may play a more important role than the total expression or release of this molecule in the activation of immune responses. And our study offered a novel modified PDT approach to the treatment of tumor cells intrinsically low on HSP70 expression.

Assessment of thermal effects of interstitial laser phototherapy on mammary tumors using proton resonance frequency method

Laser immunotherapy (LIT) uses a synergistic approach to treat cancer systemically through local laser irradiation and immunological stimulation. Currently, LIT utilizes dye-assisted noninvasive laser irradiation to achieve selective photothermal interaction. However, LIT faces difficulties treating deeper tumors or tumors with heavily pigmented overlying skin. To circumvent these barriers, we use interstitial laser irradiation to induce the desired photothermal effects. The purpose of this study is to analyze the thermal effects of interstitial irradiation using proton resonance frequency (PRF). An 805-nm near-infrared laser with an interstitial cylindrical diffuser was used to treat rat mammary tumors. Different power settings (1.0, 1.25, and 1.5 W) were applied with an irradiation duration of 10 min. The temperature distributions of the treated tumors were measured by a 7 T magnetic resonance imager using PRF. We found that temperature distributions in tissue depended on both laser power and time settings, and that variance in tissue composition has a major influence in temperature elevation. The temperature elevations measured during interstitial laser irradiation by PRF and thermocouple were consistent, with some variations due to tissue composition and the positioning of the thermocouple's needle probes. Our results indicated that, for a tissue irradiation of 10 min, the elevation of rat tumor temperature ranged from 8 to 11°C for 1 W and 8 to 15°C for 1.5 W. This is the first time a 7 T magnetic resonance imager has been used to monitor interstitial laser irradiation via PRF. Our work provides a basic understanding of the photothermal interaction needed to control the thermal damage inside a tumor using interstitial laser treatment. Our work may lead to an optimal protocol for future cancer treatment using interstitial phototherapy in conjunction with immunotherapy.

Optimal photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy of infections should kill bacteria but spare neutrophils

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) for localized microbial infections exerts its therapeutic effect both by direct bacterial killing and also by the bactericidal effects of host neutrophils stimulated by PDT. Therefore, PDT-induced damage to neutrophils must be minimized, while direct photoinactivation of bacteria is maintained to maximize the therapeutic efficacy of antimicrobial PDT in vivo. However, there has been no study in which the cytocidal effect of PDT on neutrophils was investigated. In this study, the cytocidal effects of PDT on neutrophils were evaluated using different antimicrobial photosensitizers to find suitable candidate photosensitizers for antimicrobial PDT. PDT on murine peripheral-blood neutrophils was performed in vitro using each photosensitizer at a concentration that exerted a maximum bactericidal effect on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and morphological alteration and viability of neutrophils were studied. Most neutrophils were viable (>80%) after PDT using toluidine blue-O (TB) or methylene blue (MB), while neutrophils showed morphological change and their viabilities were decreased (<70%) after PDT using other photosensitizers (erythrosine B, rose bengal, crystal violet, Photofrin, new methylene blue and Laserphyrin). These results suggest that PDT using TB or MB can preserve host neutrophils while exerting a significant therapeutic effect on in vivo localized microbial infection.

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils and cancer: intense and sustained neutrophilia as a treatment against solid tumors

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) are the most abundant circulating immune cells and represent the first line of immune defense against infection. This review of the biomedical literature of the last 40 years shows that they also have a powerful antitumoral effect under certain circumstances. Typically, the microenvironment surrounding a solid tumor possesses many of the characteristics of chronic inflammation, a condition considered very favorable for tumor growth and spread. However, there are many circumstances that shift the chronic inflammatory state toward an acute inflammatory response around a tumor. This shift seems to convert PMN into very efficient anticancer effector cells. Clinical reports of unexpected antitumoral effects linked to the prolonged use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, which stimulates an intense and sustained neutrophilia, suggest that an easy way to fight solid tumors would be to encourage the development of intense peritumoral PMN infiltrates. Specifically designed clinical trials are urgently needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of such drug-induced neutrophilia in patients with solid tumors. This antitumoral role of neutrophils may provide new avenues for the clinical treatment of cancer.

Involvement of damage-associated molecular patterns in tumor response to photodynamic therapy: surface expression of calreticulin and high-mobility group box-1 release

Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), danger signal molecules expressed after injury or infection, have become recognized as prerequisite for orchestrating effective anti-tumor host response. The expression of two prototypical DAMPs, calreticulin and high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein, was examined following Photofrin-photodynamic therapy (PDT) of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells in vitro and LLC tumors growing in syngeneic mice. Cell surface expression of calreticulin was found to be highly increased at 1 h after PDT treatment both in vitro and in vivo. Increased exposure of calreticulin was also detected on the surface of macrophages from PDT-treated LLC tumors. At the same time interval, a rise in serum HMGB1 was detected in host mice. Intracellular staining of macrophages co-incubated for 16 h with PDT-treated LLC cells revealed elevated levels of HMGB1 in these cells. The knowledge of the involvement of these DAMPs uncovers important mechanistic insights into the development of host response induced by PDT.

Temoporfin (Foscan®, 5,10,15,20-tetra(m-hydroxyphenyl)chlorin)--a second-generation photosensitizer

This review traces the development and study of the second-generation photosensitizer 5,10,15,20-tetra(m-hydroxyphenyl)chlorin through to its acceptance and clinical use in modern photodynamic (cancer) therapy. The literature has been covered up to early 2011.

Aptamer-assembled nanomaterials for biosensing and biomedical applications

Aptamers represent a class of single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides that play important roles in biosensing and biomedical applications. However, aptamers can gain more flexibility as molecular recognition tools by taking advantage of the unique chemical and physical properties provided by nanomaterials. Such aptamer-nanomaterial conjugates are having an increasing impact in the fields of biosensing, bioimaging, and therapy. The recent advances and limitations of aptamer-assembled nanomaterials in biosensing and biomedical applications are briefly introduced and discussed.

Heat-shock protein 70-dependent dendritic cell activation by 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic treatment of human glioblastoma spheroids in vitro

BACKGROUND

T-cell responses contribute to the anti-tumoural effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT). For such responses to occur, dendritic cells (DCs) have to migrate to the tumour, take up tumour antigens and respond to danger signals with maturation, before they engage in T-cell activation. Here, we have studied the effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated PDT on DCs in vitro in a human spheroid model of glioblastoma (GB).

METHODS

Spheroids of the GB cell lines U87 and U251 were treated with ALA/PDT, and effects on attraction, uptake of tumour antigens and maturation of DCs were studied. To block heat-shock protein-70 (HSP-70) on the spheroids, neutralising antibodies were used.

RESULTS

5-Aminolevulinic acid /PDT-treated GB spheroids attracted DCs that acquired tumour antigens from the spheroids effectively. Moreover, co-culture with ALA/PDT-treated spheroids induced DC maturation as indicated by the upregulation of CD83 and co-stimulatory molecules as well as increased T-cell stimulatory activity of the DCs. Heat-shock protein-70 was upregulated on the spheroids after ALA/PDT treatment. Uptake of tumour antigens and DC maturation induced by the ALA/PDT-treated spheroids were inhibited when HSP-70 was blocked.

CONCLUSION

ALA/PDT treatment of glioma spheroids promotes the three initial steps of the afferent phase of adaptive immunity, which is at least partially mediated by HSP-70.

Photoactivation switch from type II to type I reactions by electron-rich micelles for improved photodynamic therapy of cancer cells under hypoxia

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging clinical modality for the treatment of a variety of diseases. Most photosensitizers are hydrophobic and poorly soluble in water. Many new nanoplatforms have been successfully established to improve the delivery efficiency of PS drugs. However, few reported studies have investigated how the carrier microenvironment may affect the photophysical properties of photosensitizer (PS) drugs and subsequently, their biological efficacy in killing malignant cells. In this study, we describe the modulation of type I and II photoactivation processes of the photosensitizer, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(meso-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (mTHPP), by the micelle core environment. Electron-rich poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDPA) micelles increased photoactivations from type II to type I mechanisms, which significantly increased the generation of O(2)(-) through the electron transfer pathway over (1)O(2) production through energy transfer process. The PDPA micelles led to enhanced phototoxicity over the electron-deficient poly(D,L-lactide) control in multiple cancer cell lines under argon-saturated conditions. These data suggest that micelle carriers may not only improve the bioavailability of photosensitizer drugs, but also modulate photophysical properties for improved PDT efficacy.

Targeting of T/Tn antigens with a plant lectin to kill human leukemia cells by photochemotherapy

Photochemotherapy is used both for solid tumors and in extracorporeal treatment of various hematologic disorders. Nevertheless, its development in oncology remains limited, because of the low selectivity of photosensitizers (PS) towards human tumor cells. To enhance PS efficiency, we recently covalently linked a porphyrin (TrMPyP) to a plant lectin (Morniga G), known to recognize with high affinity tumor-associated T and Tn antigens. The conjugation allowed a quick uptake of PS by Tn-positive Jurkat leukemia cells and efficient PS-induced phototoxicity. The present study was performed: (i) to evaluate the targeting potential of the conjugate towards tumor and normal cells and its phototoxicity on various leukemia cells, (ii) to investigate the mechanism of conjugate-mediated cell death. The conjugate: (i) strongly increased (×1000) the PS phototoxicity towards leukemic Jurkat T cells through an O-glycan-dependent process; (ii) specifically purged tumor cells from a 1∶1 mixture of Jurkat leukemia (Tn-positive) and healthy (Tn-negative) lymphocytes, preserving the activation potential of healthy lymphocytes; (iii) was effective against various leukemic cell lines with distinct phenotypes, as well as fresh human primary acute and chronic lymphoid leukemia cells; (iv) induced mostly a caspase-independent cell death, which might be an advantage as tumor cells often resist caspase-dependent cell death. Altogether, the present observations suggest that conjugation with plant lectins can allow targeting of photosensitizers towards aberrant glycosylation of tumor cells, e.g. to purge leukemia cells from blood and to preserve the normal leukocytes in extracorporeal photochemotherapy.

Conjugation of cRGD peptide to chlorophyll a based photosensitizer (HPPH) alters its pharmacokinetics with enhanced tumor-imaging and photosensitizing (PDT) efficacy

The α(v)β(3) integrin receptor plays an important role in human metastasis and tumor-induced angiogenesis. Cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp (cRGD) peptide represents a selective α(v)β(3) integrin ligand that has been extensively used for research, therapy, and diagnosis of neoangiogenesis. For developing photosensitizers with enhanced PDT efficacy, we here report the synthesis of a series of bifunctional agents in which the 3-(1'-hexyloxyethyl)-3-devinylpyropheophorbide a (HPPH), a chlorophyll-based photosensitizer, was conjugated to cRGD and the related analogues. The cell uptake and in vitro PDT efficacy of the conjugates were studied in α(v)β(3) integrin overexpressing U87 and 4T1 cell lines whereas the in vivo PDT efficacy and fluorescence-imaging potential of the conjugates were compared with the corresponding nonconjugated photosensitizer HPPH in 4T1 tumors. Compared to HPPH, the HPPH-cRGD conjugate in which the arginine and aspartic acid moieties were available for binding to two subunits of α(v)β(3) integrin showed faster clearance, enhanced tumor imaging and enhanced PDT efficacy at 2-4 h postinjection. Molecular modeling studies also confirmed that the presence of the HPPH moiety in HPPH-cRGD conjugate does not interfere with specific recognition of cRGD by α(v)β(3) integrin. Compared to U87 and 4T1 cells the HPPH-cRGD showed significantly low photosensitizing efficacy in A431 (α(v)β(3) negative) tumor cells, suggesting possible target specificity of the conjugate.

Modulation of migratory activity and invasiveness of human glioma spheroids following 5-aminolevulinic acid–based photodynamic treatment

Object

Five-aminolevulinic acid–mediated photodynamic therapy (ALA/PDT) can improve the clinical outcome in patients suffering from glioblastoma. Besides direct phototoxicity, additional mechanisms may contribute. Therefore, the authors studied the influence of ALA/PDT on glioblastoma's migratory and invasive behavior in a human glioma cell spheroid model.

Methods

Glioma spheroids were grown from human U373 and A172 cell lines. After ALA/PDT of spheroids, the authors assessed the migration of tumor cells and their capacity to invade a collagen matrix, as well as changes in their viability, morphology, and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).

Results

The authors found that ALA/PDT caused long-lasting, nearly complete suppression of glioma cell migration and matrix invasion compared with nontherapeutic controls, including either irradiation or incubation with ALA only. Although ALA/PDT induced tumor cell apoptosis, suppression of migration/invasion was not simply due to phototoxicity because 50% of tumor cells remained vital throughout the observation period. Moreover, the morphology of ALA/PDT-treated cells changed significantly toward a polygonal, epithelial-like appearance, which was associated with alterations in the actin cytoskeleton. Furthermore, downregulation of MMP-7 and -8 was observed after treatment whereas other MMPs remained unchanged.

Conclusions

In addition to directly eliminating glioma cells through apoptosis, ALA/PDT alters their invasiveness, possibly due to the effects on the cytoskeletal organization and MMP expression.

The controlled photoactivity of nanoparticles derived from ionic interactions between a water soluble polymeric photosensitizer and polysaccharide quencher

In order to design a water soluble polymeric photosensitizer (WPS) with controllable photoactivity, a nano-photosensitizer (NPS) was prepared from a polyelectrolyte complex between polyethylene glycol-polyethylenimine-chlorine e6 conjugate (PEG-PEI-Ce6) and Black Hole Quencher-3 chondroitin sulfate conjugate (BHQ-3-CS). NPSs have a unimodal size distribution below 100 nm. Photoquenching of the NPS was dependent on the weight ratio of BHQ-3-CS/WPS. This phenomenon was maintained in a salt condition up to 300 mm, indicating that the photoactivity of the NPS disappears in the normal blood stream of the body. The quenched photoactivity was restored by the enzyme degradation of BHQ-3-CS after esterase treatment. In a HCT-116 (human colon cancer) cell test, the rapid cellular internalization of the NPS without any other ligands was observed by confocal imaging. Upon light irradiation after internalization, phototoxicity was detected via MTT colorimetric assay. Also, when the NPS was subcutaneously injected in both tumoral and normal regions of HCT-116 tumor-bearing mice, the fluorescence signal in the tumors rapidly increased compared to the normal region due to the enzymatic-triggered dissociation of the NPS in vivo. These results suggest that the NPS can provide both tumor diagnosis and therapy simultaneously, and has great potential for biological studies and clinical treatments of various tumors.

Pheophorbide a-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy Triggers HLA Class I-Restricted Antigen Presentation in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The immunomodulatory effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) have been reported in several photosensitizers. Pheophorbide a (Pa), a chlorophyll derivative, shows antitumor effects on a number of human cancers in a PDT approach (Pa-PDT); however, the potential effect of Pa-PDT on the anticancer immunity has never been studied. In the present work, the underlying action mechanism of Pa-PDT was systemically investigated with a human hepatoma cell line HepG2. We found that Pa-PDT significantly inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells with a half maximal inhibitory concentration/endoplasmic reticulum of 0.35 microM at 24 hours by the induction of apoptosis, as shown by externalization of phosphatidylserine, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, and activation of the caspases cascade in the treated cells. Interestingly, using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis, a 57-kDa disulfide-isomerase-like ER resident protein (ERp57) that belongs to the HLA class I-restricted antigen-processing machinery was found to be mediated during the Pa-PDT treatment. This activation of antigen presentation was confirmed by Western blot analysis and immunostaining. Furthermore, a cross-presentation of antigen with HLA class I proteins and 70-kDa heat shock protein was found in Pa-PDT-treated cells, as shown by the confocal microscopic observation and immunoprecipitation assay. Nevertheless, the immunogenicity of HepG2 cells was increased by Pa-PDT treatment that triggered phagocytic capture by human macrophages. Our findings provide the first evidence that Pa-PDT can trigger both apoptosis and cancer immunity in the tumor host.

Photodynamic therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma: the future of treatment?

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a deadly incurable cancer, with a median survival of approximately 9 months. The best available chemotherapy, arguably the standard of care, only yields a 40% response rate and an 11-week extension in median survival. Surgery, the modality most likely to be associated with prolonged remission, remains investigational and must always be combined with other modalities in an effort to treat the microscopic disease that will remain even after the most aggressive operations. One such modality, photodynamic therapy, is a light-based cancer treatment that has features making it particularly well suited as a component of a surgery-based multimodal treatment plan. Utilizing intraoperative photodynamic therapy has enabled development of a less drastic surgical procedure that is also yielding some encouraging survival results. A unique aspect of photodynamic therapy is its stimulation of a tumor-directed immune response, a feature that offers promise for designing future treatments.

Cell death via mitochondrial apoptotic pathway due to activation of Bax by lysosomal photodamage

Lysosomal photosensitizers have been used in photodynamic therapy. The combination of such photosensitizers and light causes lysosomal photodamage, inducing cell death. Lysosomal disruption can lead to apoptosis but its signaling pathways remain to be elucidated. In this study, N-aspartyl chlorin e6 (NPe6), an effective photosensitizer that preferentially accumulates in lysosomes, was used to study the mechanism of apoptosis caused by lysosomal photodamage. Apoptosis in living human lung adenocarcinoma cells (ASTC-a-1) after NPe6-photodynamic treatment (NPe6-PDT) was studied using real-time single-cell analysis. Our results demonstrated that NPe6-PDT induced rapid generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The photodynamically produced ROS caused a rapid destruction of lysosomes, leading to release of cathepsins, and the ROS scavengers vitamin C and NAC prevent the effects. Then the following spatiotemporal sequence of cellular events was observed during cell apoptosis: Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) activation, cytochrome c release, and caspase-9/-3 activation. Importantly, the activation of Bax proved to be a crucial event in this apoptotic machinery, because suppressing the endogenous Bax using siRNA could significantly inhibit cytochrome c release and caspase-9/-3 activation and protect the cell from death. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that PDT with lysosomal photosensitizer induces Bax activation and subsequently initiates the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Induction of immune mediators in glioma and prostate cancer cells by non-lethal photodynamic therapy

Background

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses the combination of photosensitizing drugs and harmless light to cause selective damage to tumor cells. PDT is therefore an option for focal therapy of localized disease or for otherwise unresectable tumors. In addition, there is increasing evidence that PDT can induce systemic anti-tumor immunity, supporting control of tumor cells, which were not eliminated by the primary treatment. However, the effect of non-lethal PDT on the behavior and malignant potential of tumor cells surviving PDT is molecularly not well defined.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Here we have evaluated changes in the transcriptome of human glioblastoma (U87, U373) and human (PC-3, DU145) and murine prostate cancer cells (TRAMP-C1, TRAMP-C2) after non-lethal PDT in vitro and in vivo using oligonucleotide microarray analyses. We found that the overall response was similar between the different cell lines and photosensitizers both in vitro and in vivo. The most prominently upregulated genes encoded proteins that belong to pathways activated by cellular stress or are involved in cell cycle arrest. This response was similar to the rescue response of tumor cells following high-dose PDT. In contrast, tumor cells dealing with non-lethal PDT were found to significantly upregulate a number of immune genes, which included the chemokine genes CXCL2, CXCL3 and IL8/CXCL8 as well as the genes for IL6 and its receptor IL6R, which can stimulate proinflammatory reactions, while IL6 and IL6R can also enhance tumor growth.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that PDT can support anti-tumor immune responses and is, therefore, a rational therapy even if tumor cells cannot be completely eliminated by primary phototoxic mechanisms alone. However, non-lethal PDT can also stimulate tumor growth-promoting autocrine loops, as seen by the upregulation of IL6 and its receptor. Thus the efficacy of PDT to treat tumors may be improved by controlling unwanted and potentially deleterious growth-stimulatory pathways.

Photodamaging effects of porphyrins and chitosan on primary human keratinocytes and carcinoma cell cultures

BACKGROUND

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-surgical method for treating non-melanoma skin cancer and precancerous lesions which involves the activation of a photosensitizer by visible light to produce activated oxygen species within target cells, resulting in the destruction of the latter. The present study evaluates the effect of PDT on primary normal and basal cell carcinoma cultures in vitro.

METHODS

Primary human keratinocytes and carcinoma cell cultures were exposed to various concentrations of 5,10,15,20-tetra-(para-methoxyphenyl) porphyrin (TMP) and its zinc compound (Zn-TMP) for 24 hours, with or without chitosan, and then irradiated using a PDT lamp (630 nm, 6 J/cm(2)). The effects of PDT were assessed using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium inner salt (MTS) assay and an immunocytochemical method with Annexin V-FITC for detecting apoptosis.

RESULTS

Both tested substances, TMP and Zn-TMP, had a phototoxic effect on primary human carcinoma cell cultures in concentrations of 1-100 μg/ml, which positively correlated with the concentration of the photosensitizer. There was no phototoxic effect on primary keratinocytes, probably because of the preferential accumulation of photosensitizing substances in tumoral cells. Administration of chitosan in association with photosensitizing substances increased cell viability compared with photosensitizers alone, exerting a cytoprotective effect.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrates that the photodynamic activity of TMP and its metalloporphyrin derivative is limited to primary human carcinoma cells and suggests that these porphyrins could be efficiently used in PDT in vivo.

Low dose hypericin-PDT induces complete tumor regression in BALB/c mice bearing CT26 colon carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Successful tumor eradication with photodynamic therapy (PDT) in vivo depends on the optimal combination of treatment parameters. (Low-dose) PDT may additionally induce antitumoral immune responses. Since the naturally occurring hypericin (Hyp) is a promising photosensitizer for PDT, the aim of the study was to investigate phototoxic and immunologic effects of a low-dose Hyp-PDT on murine tumors in contrast to commonly used Hyp-PDT conditions.

METHODS

BALB/c mice bearing CT26 colon carcinoma received hypericin intravenously and were irradiated with red light 0.5-4h later. Tumor development was recorded. Mice were then re-challenged 60 days after the first tumor cell inoculation to investigate an antitumoral immune response.

RESULTS

Different results of tumor/host responses were obtained, ranging from mice exitus over delayed tumor growth to complete tumor regression according to different treatment protocols. PDT with common doses and a 4h drug-light-interval resulted in a four times delayed tumor growth compared to the control groups. PDT with relatively low doses and a drug-light-interval of 0.5h led to 100% tumor eradication. Re-challenge of these mice with CT26 mouse colon carcinoma cells prevented new tumor growth.

CONCLUSIONS

Not only drug concentrations and light doses seem to determine the efficiency of tumor eradication, but also the localization of hypericin at the time of irradiation. Targets in our low-dose PDT protocol are exclusively the vessels. The advantage of this low-dose PDT beside less drug and light exposure of the animals is reduced skin damage, faster healing of the lesions and induction of an antitumoral immune response.

Optimization of photodynamic therapy response by survivin gene knockdown in human metastatic breast cancer T47D cells

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) leads to the generation of cytotoxic oxygen species that appears to stimulate several different signaling pathways, some of which lead to cell death, whereas others mediate cell survival. In this context, we observed that PDT mediated by methyl-5-aminolevulinic acid as the photosensitizer resulted in over-expression of survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family that correlates inversely with patient prognosis. The role of survivin in resistance to anti-cancer therapies has become an area of intensive investigation. In this study, we demonstrate a specific role for survivin in modulating PDT-mediated apoptotic response. In our experimental system, we use a DNA vector-based siRNA, which targets exon-1 of the human survivin mRNA (pSil_1) to silence survivin expression. Metastatic T47D cells treated with both pSil_1 and PDT exhibited increased apoptotic indexes and cytotoxicity when compared to single-agent treated cells. The treatment resulted in increased PARP and caspase-3 cleavage, a decrease in the Bcl-2/Bak ratio and no participation of heat shock proteins. In contrast, the overexpression of survivin by a survivin-expressed vector increased cell viability and reduced cell death in breast cancer cells treated with PDT. Therefore, our data suggest that combining PDT with a survivin inhibitor may attribute to a more favorable clinical outcome than the use of single-modality PDT.

Control of singlet oxygen generation photosensitized by meso-anthrylporphyrin through interaction with DNA

To control the activity of photosensitized singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) generation, the electron donor-connecting porphyrin, 5-(9'-anthryl)-10,15,20-tris(p-pyridyl)porphyrin (AnTPyP), was designed and synthesized. AnTPyP became water-soluble by the protonation of the pyridyl moieties in the presence of 5 mM trifluoroacetic acid (pH 2.3). The photoexcited state of the porphyrin ring in an AnTPyP molecule was effectively deactivated by intramolecular electron transfer from the anthracene moiety within 0.04 ns in an aqueous solution. The deactivation was suppressed by the interaction with a DNA strand, resulting in the elongation of the lifetime of the porphyrin excited state and the enhancement of the fluorescence intensity. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the interaction enabled the photoexcited AnTPyP to generate (1)O(2). Selective (1)O(2) generation by forming a complex with DNA should be the initial step to realize the target selective photodynamic therapy.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes as optical materials for biosensing

In this review, we summarize recent progress in the development of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as optical materials for biosensing applications. First, as optical labels, we discuss the use of SWNTs in Raman-based protein detection. Strong and simple resonance Raman spectroscopy of SWNTs opens up a method of protein microarray with detection sensitivity down to femtomolar range. Also, tunable isotopic SWNT-Raman signature enables the simultaneous detection of multiple analytes in complex fluids. Second, the photoluminescence properties of SWNTs are also explored. We examine fluorescence biosensors that integrate the quenching property of SWNTs and the recognition property of functional nucleic acids. Particularly, SWNTs are established as an efficient signal transduction substrate in different biosensing systems, including the detection of specific proteins and DNA sequences, regulation of singlet oxygen generation and label-free fluorescence assays, and all have exhibited very high selectivity and sensitivity.

Combining anticancer agents photodynamic therapy and LCL85 leads to distinct changes in the sphingolipid profile, autophagy, caspase-3 activation in the absence of cell death, and long-term sensitization

Two anticancer agents, LCL85 and photodynamic therapy (PDT) were combined to test whether the combination PDT/LCL85 evokes changes in the sphingolipid (SL) profile and promotes cell death. Treatment of SCCVII mouse squamous carcinoma cells using the silicone phthalocyanine Pc 4 for PDT induced increases in the prodeath global ceramides/dihydroceramides (DHceramides), and no changes in the prosurvival sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). In contrast, after LCL85, the levels of most ceramides and DHceramides were reduced, whereas the levels of S1P were increased. After PDT/LCL85 the levels of global ceramides and DHceramides, and of S1P, were restored to resting levels. PDT/LCL85 also enhanced the levels of C18-, C20-, and C20:1-ceramide, and C18-DHceramide. Treatment with PDT, with or without LCL85, led to substantial reductions in sphingosine levels. PDT/LCL85 induced enhanced autophagy and caspase-3 activation. None of the treatments affected short-term viability of cells. In contrast, long-term clonogenic survival was reduced not only after PDT or LCL85, but even more after PDT/LCL85. Overall, our data show that short-term exposure to PDT/LCL85 led to distinct signature effects on the SL profile, enhanced autophagy, and caspase-3 activation without cell death. Long-term exposure to PDT/LCL85 enhanced overall cell killing, supporting translational potential of PDT/LCL85.

Stimulation of anti-tumor immunity by photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a rapidly developing cancer treatment that utilizes the combination of nontoxic dyes and harmless visible light to destroy tumors by generating reactive oxygen species. PDT produces tumor-cell destruction in the context of acute inflammation that acts as a 'danger signal' to the innate immune system. Activation of the innate immune system increases the priming of tumor-specific T lymphocytes that have the ability to recognize and destroy distant tumor cells and, in addition, lead to the development of an immune memory that can combat recurrence of the cancer at a later point in time. PDT may be also successfully combined with immunomodulating strategies that are capable of overcoming or bypassing the escape mechanisms employed by the progressing tumor to evade immune attack. This article will cover the role of the immune response in PDT anti-tumor effectiveness. It will highlight the milestones in the development of PDT-mediated anti-tumor immunity and emphasize the combination strategies that may improve this therapy.