Photodynamic therapy effect of morpholinium containing silicon (IV) phthalocyanine on HCT-116 cells

Non-aggregated and water soluble non-peripherally octa substituted Co(II) and Cu(II) phthalocyanines: Synthesis and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a progressive metabolic disease associated with high blood sugar levels that affects 537 million people worldwide. This study aim is to investigate the potential for use in the treatment of T2DM by examining the in vitro glucosidase inhibitory effects of novel synthesized metallophthalocyanines. For this reason, we have synthesized cobalt(II), copper(II) phthalocyanines (3PY-ON-CoQ, 3PY-ON-CuQ) that are both water-soluble and do not aggregate in water. These compounds were characterized by using various spectroscopic methods. The α-glucosidase inhibitory properties of 3PY-ON-CoQ and 3PY-ON-CuQ were carried out using the spectrophotometric method. Then, Lineweaver-Burk and Dixon plots were examined to determine the inhibitory type and constant (Ki). The IC50 values of 3PY-ON-CoQ and 3PY-ON-CuQ were 6.85 ± 1.25 μM and 55.09 ± 2.64 μM, respectively. Both compounds displayed mixed inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase according to Lineweaver-Burk plots. The Ki values of 3PY-ON-CoQ and 3PY-ON-CuQ were calculated as 6.30 ± 1.55 μM and 54.25 ± 1.20 μM, respectively. The results of this work may lead to the discovery of new compounds for the treatment of T2DM.

Insights into the Biological Activity and Cytotoxic Mechanism of Epimedium pubigerum

In this work, the phytochemical characterization, biological activity, and cytotoxic mechanism of aerial and rhizome methanol extracts (SME and RME) of Epimedium pubigerum were investigated to demonstrate its potential usage in the treatment of lung cancer. LC-HRMS analysis, total phenolic/flavonoid content assay, DPPH radical scavenging assay, DNA interaction, cytotoxicity, and western blotting were investigated using different methods. Fumaric acid was found to be the most abundant compound in both extracts. SME and RME were cytotoxic on A549 cells concentration-dependently. Also, in vitro scratch assay showed that SME and RME led to a significant anti-migratory effect at 1 mg/mL. Cytochrome c, p53, and caspase 3 expression significantly increased in the presence of RME compared to the control. All of these results claimed that RME might be suggested as a theoretically more effective phytotherapeutic agent for lung cancer compared to the effect seen with the SME.

Antitumor activity of photodynamic therapy with tetracationic derivative of synthetic bacteriochlorin in spheroid culture of liver and colon cancer cells

Efficient screening of photosensitizers (PS) as well as studying their photodynamic activity, especially PS excited in the near-infrared region, require informative in vitro models to adequately reflect the architecture, thickness, and intercellular interactions in tumors. In our study, we used spheroids formed from human colon cancer HCT-116 cells and liver cancer Huh7 cells to assess the phototoxicity of a new PS based on tetracationic derivative of synthetic bacteriochlorin (BC4). We optimized conditions for the irradiation regime based on the kinetics of BC4 accumulation in spheroids and kinetics of spheroid growth. Although PS accumulated more efficiently in HCT-116 cells, characterized by more aggressive growth and high proliferative potential, they were less susceptible to the photodynamic therapy (PDT) compared to the slower growing Huh7 cells. We also showed that 3D models of spheroids were less sensitive to BC4 than conventional 2D cultures with relatively identical kinetics of drug accumulation. Our findings suggest that BC4 is a perspective agent for photodynamic therapy against cancer cells.