Hybrid Sono-Photodynamic Combination Therapy Mediated by Water-Soluble Gallium Phthalocyanine Enhances the Cytotoxic Effect against Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Breast cancer is a life-threatening disease that is gaining increasing importance due to its rising incidence, highlighting the need for novel treatment methods with the least disadvantages. Recently, scientists have focused on developing therapeutic treatment modalities for effective cancer treatment. In contrast to conventional cancer treatment methods such as immunotherapy, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is gaining prominence. Besides, sonodynamic treatment (SDT) is a noninvasive therapeutic approach that uses ultrasound to induce high tissue penetration. In both methods, sensitizers are activated to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species such as •OH and 1O2. In particular, the combined use of hybrid and complementary treatment methods has become an important modality in cancer treatment in recent years. Sono-photodynamic therapy (SPDT), which is an important method applied in combination with PDT and SDT, has started to be preferred in terms of reducing potential side effects compared to monotherapy. One of the most important types of sensitizers used in PDT and SDT is known as phthalocyanines (Pcs). Motivated by these facts, this research presents the sono-photochemical, in vitro cytotoxicity, and theoretical evaluation of water-soluble gallium phthalocyanine (GaPc). The results indicate that the quantum yield of the generation of singlet oxygen increased in sono-photochemical studies (ΦΔ = 0.94), compared to photochemical studies (ΦΔ = 0.72). In vitro analyses revealed that GaPc did not exhibit significant cytotoxic effects at the specified varying concentration doses (1-20 μM). Furthermore, GaPc-mediated SPDT triggered cell death by inducing reactive oxygen species formation in the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). The interaction mechanism of the GaPc with EGFR and VEGFR2 target proteins, which are critical regulators of metastasis, proliferation, and angiogenesis, was investigated by molecular docking simulation. GaPc has effective binding affinities against target proteins, and this affinity was found to be the highest against VEGFR2. Molecular docking results showed a good correlation with the obtained biological results. Eventually, this molecular building of the efficient water-soluble phthalocyanine-based sensitizer is a potential therapeutic for PDT, SDT, and SPDT applications.

A Case-Study on the Photophysics of Chalcogen-Substituted Zinc(II) Phthalocyanines

Singlet dioxygen has been widely applied in different disciplines such as medicine (photodynamic therapy or blood sterilization), remediation (wastewater treatment) or industrial processes (fine chemicals synthesis). Particularly, it can be conveniently generated by energy transfer between a photosensitizer's triplet state and triplet dioxygen upon irradiation with visible light. Among the best photosensitizers, substituted zinc(II) phthalocyanines are prominent due to their excellent photophysical properties, which can be tuned by structural modifications, such as halogen- and chalcogen-atom substitution. These patterns allow for the enhancement of spin-orbit coupling, commonly attributed to the heavy atom effect, which correlates with the atomic number ( Z ${Z}$ ) and the spin-orbit coupling constant ( ζ ${\zeta }$ ) of the introduced heteroatom. Herein, a fully systematic analysis of the effect exerted by chalcogen atoms on the photophysical characteristics (absorption and fluorescence properties, lifetimes and singlet dioxygen photogeneration), involving 30 custom-made β-tetrasubstituted chalcogen-bearing zinc(II) phthalocyanines is described and evaluated regarding the heavy atom effect. Besides, the intersystem crossing rate constants are estimated by several independent methods and a quantitative profile of the heavy atom is provided by using linear correlations between relative intersystem crossing rates and relative atomic numbers. Good linear trends for both intersystem crossing rates (S1-T1 and T1-S0) were obtained, with a dependency on the atomic number and the spin-orbit coupling constant scaling asZ 0 . 4 ${{Z}^{0.4}}$ andζ 0 . 2 ${{\zeta }^{0.2}}$ , respectively The trend shows to be independent of the solvent and temperature.

DNA groove binder and significant cytotoxic activity on human colon cancer cells: Potential of a dimeric zinc (II) phthalocyanine derivative

The interaction of a multi-component system consisting of benzene-1,4-diyldimethanimine-bridged dimeric zinc-phthalocyanine groups (4OMPCZ) with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) was investigated using UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence emission spectroscopy methods, and viscosity measurements. The binding constant, K_b, which is an important parameter to gain information about the binding mode, was found as 9.7 × 10⁷ M^-1 from the UV-Vis absorption studies. Another important spectrophotometric tool is competitive displacement assays with Ethidium bromide and Hoechst 33342. Through this experiment, a higher K_SV value was obtained with Hoechst for the phthalocyanine derivative, 4OMPCZ, and the ct-DNA complex than with ethidium bromide. Additionally, molecular docking studies were conducted to calculate the theoretical binding constant and visualize the interactions of 4OMPCZ with a model DNA. According to docking results, although the interactions are mainly located in the major groove of the DNA helix, due to the wrapping, these interactions can also be extended to the minor groove of the DNA. Spectrophotometric, molecular docking, and viscosity studies revealed that the interaction of 4OMPCZ with DNA is likely to be via the major and minor grooves. The in vitro cytotoxic activity of 4OMPCZ was evaluated by MTT assay on human colon cancer cells (HT29) after 72 h of treatment. 4OMPCZ indicated significant cytotoxic activity when stimulated with UV light compared to the standard chemotherapy drugs, fluorouracil (5-FU), and cisplatin on HT29 colon cancer cells. The IC₅₀ value of 4OMPCZ displayed considerably lower concentrations compared to the standard drugs, 5-FU, and cisplatin.

Synthesis and anticancer mechanisms of zinc(II)-8-hydroxyquinoline complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline ancillary ligands

Twenty new zinc(II) complexes with 8-hydroxyquinoline (H-Q1-H-Q6) in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline derivatives (D1-D10) were synthesized and formulated as [Zn(Q1)₂(D1)] (DQ1), [Zn(Q2)₂(D2)]·CH₃OH (DQ2), [Zn(Q1)₂(D3)] (DQ3), [Zn(Q1)₂(D4)] (DQ4), [Zn(Q3)₂(D5)] (DQ5), [Zn(Q3)₂(D4)] (DQ6), [Zn(Q4)₂(D5)]·CH₃OH (DQ7), [Zn(Q4)₂(D6)] (DQ8), [Zn(Q4)₂(D3)]·CH₃OH (DQ9), [Zn(Q4)₂(D1)]·H₂O (DQ10), [Zn(Q5)₂(D4)] (DQ11), [Zn(Q6)₂(D6)]·CH₃OH (DQ12), [Zn(Q5)₂(D2)]·5CH₃OH·H₂O (DQ13), [Zn(Q5)₂(D7)]·CH₃OH (DQ14), [Zn(Q5)₂(D8)]·CH₂Cl₂ (DQ15), [Zn(Q5)₂(D9)] (DQ16), [Zn(Q5)₂(D1)] (DQ17), [Zn(Q5)₂(D5)] (DQ18), [Zn(Q5)₂(D10)]·CH₂Cl₂ (DQ19) and [Zn(Q5)₂(D3)] (DQ20). They were characterized using multiple techniques. The cytotoxicity of DQ1-DQ20 was screened using human cisplatin-resistant SK-OV-3/DDP ovarian cancer (SK-OV-3CR) cells and normal hepatocyte (HL-7702) cells. Complex DQ6 showed low IC₅₀ values (2.25 ± 0.13 μM) on SK-OV-3CR cells, more than 3.0-8.0 times more cytotoxic than DQ1-DQ5 and DQ7-DQ20 (≥6.78 μM), and even 22.2 times more cytotoxic than the standard cisplatin, the corresponding free H-Q1-H-Q6 and D1-D10 alone (>50 μM). As a comparison, DQ1-DQ20 displayed nontoxic rates against healthy HL-7702 cells. Furthermore, DQ6 and DQ11 induced significant apoptosis via mitophagy pathways. DQ6 also significantly inhibited tumor growth in an in vivo SK-OV-3-xenograft model (ca. 49.7%). Thus, DQ6 may serve as a lead complex for the discovery of new antitumor agents.

Synthesis of nonperipherally tetra-[5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy] substituted metallophthalocyanines and their electrochemistry

3-[5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy]phthalonitrile ( n-TY-CN ), metallophthalocyanines n-TY-Co , n-TY-Cu , and n-TY-Mn bearing [5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy] groups at nonperipheral positions were prepared for the first time. These compounds were characterized with IR, NMR (only for n-TY-CN ), mass and UV-vis (except n-TY-CN ) spectroscopy. Voltammetric characterizations of n-TY-Co , n-TY-Cu , and n-TY-Mn revealed that while n-TY-Co , n-TY-Cu , and n-TY-Mn showed characteristic Pc ring and/or metal-based reduction reaction, n-TY-Co , n-TY-Cu , and n-TY-Mn were coated on the working electrode during the oxidation processes owing to the cationic electropolymerizations of the [5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy] substituents.

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of novel methoxy bridged benzimidazolyl-substituted phthalocyanines as potent inhibitors of urease

In this study, novel peripherally 4-[(1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)methoxy] substituted Zn(II) (3) Cu(II) (4) and Co(II) (5) phthalocyanines were prepared and their structures were characterized spectroscopically. The light absorption behaviors of the synthesized compounds (3-5) were studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy at different concentrations in different solvents. The urease inhibition activities of the synthesized compounds were also investigated. Among the synthesized molecules, compound 4 showed the best inhibitory effect against jack bean urease with IC₅₀ values of 0.0036 ± 0.0010 μM.

Synthesis and characterization of novel 7-oxy-3-ethyl-6-hexyl-4-methylcoumarin substituted metallo phthalocyanines and investigation of their photophysical and photochemical properties

In this study, the synthesis of novel 7-hydroxy-3-ethyl-6-hexyl-4-methylcoumarin (1), four respective phthalonitriles; 4-(7-oxy-3-ethyl-6-hexyl-4-methylcoumarin)phthalonitrile (2), 3-(7-oxy-3-ethyl-6-hexyl-4-methylcoumarin)phthalonitrile (3), 4-chloro-5-(7-oxy-3-ethyl-6-hexyl-4-methylcoumarin)phthalonitrile (4), and 4,5-bis(7-oxy-3-ethyl-6-hexyl-4-methylcoumarin)phthalonitrile (5) and their corresponding alpha tetra, beta tetra and beta octa 7-oxy-3-ethyl-6-hexyl-4-methylcoumarin and beta octa 4-chloro-5-(7-oxy-3-ethyl-6-hexyl-4-methylcoumarin) substituted Zn(ii) (6a-9a) and In(iii) Cl (6b-9b) phthalocyanines has been performed. The novel purified compounds were characterized by standard characterization techniques such as elemental analysis, thermal analysis, FT-IR, UV-vis, ¹H-NMR and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. All of the obtained phthalocyanines showed lipophilic behaviour with excellent solubility in organic solvents such as acetone, dichloromethane, chloroform, pyridine and ethyl acetate. The fluorescence quenching behaviour was investigated using 1,4-benzoquinone and potassium iodide as quenchers. The photophysical (fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes) and photochemical (singlet oxygen and photodegradation quantum yields) properties of these novel phthalocyanines (6a-9a and 6b-9b) were studied in DMF. They produced high singlet oxygen (for example Φ_Δ = 0.99 for 7b) and showed appropriate photodegradation (in the order of 10^-5) which is very important for photodynamic therapy (PDT), and thus these phthalocyanines can be used as Type II photosensitizers in PDT applications.

Developing an Anticancer Copper(II) Multitarget Pro-Drug Based on the His146 Residue in the IB Subdomain of Modified Human Serum Albumin

Designing a multitarget anticancer drug with improved delivery and therapeutic efficiency in vivo presents a great challenge. Thus, we proposed to design an anticancer multitarget metal pro-drug derived from thiosemicarbazone based on the His146 residue in the IB subdomain of palmitic acid (PA)-modified human serum albumin (HSA-PA). The structure-activity relationship of six Cu(II) compounds with 6-methyl-2-formylpyridine-⁴N-substituted thiosemicarbazones were investigated, and then the multitarget capability of 4b was confirmed in cancer cell DNA and proteins. The structure of the HSA-PA-4b complex (HSA-PA-4b) revealed that 4b is bound to the IB subdomain of modified HSA, and that His146 replaces the nitrate ligand in 4b, coordinating with Cu²⁺, whereas PA is complexed with the IIA subdomain by its carboxyl forming hydrogen bonds with Lys199 and His242. In vivo data showed that 4b and the HSA-PA-4b complex inhibit lung tumor growth, and the targeting ability and therapeutic efficacy of the PA-modified HSA complex was stronger than 4b alone.

Morpholinyl dendrimer phthalocyanine: synthesis, photophysical properties and photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer

The photophysical properties of a novel series of morpholinyl dendrimer phthalocyanines exhibited dependence on the number of morpholinyl groups and the central ion. The photoinduced electron transfer from the morpholinyl units to phthalocyanine ring was evidenced.

The synthesis of axially disubstituted silicon phthalocyanines, their quaternized derivatives and first inhibitory effect on human cytosolic carbonic anhydrase isozymes hCA I and II

In this study a novel silicon(iv) phthalocyanine bearing [(2E)-3-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-1-(4-phenoxy)prop-2-en-1-one] group and its quaternized derivative at their axial positions were synthesized for the first time. Axially disubstituted silicon(iv) phthalocyanines were also characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. The inhibition of two human cytosolic carbonic anhydrase (hCA, EC 4.2.1.1) isozymes I and II, with axially disubstituted silicon phthalocyanines and their quaternized derivatives were investigated by using the esterase assay, with 4-nitrophenyl acetate as substrate. Silicon phthalocyanines ZM-1-Si, ZM-5-Si, ZT-Si and their quaternized derivatives ZM-1-SiQ, ZM-5-SiQ, ZT-SiQ showed IC₅₀ values in the range of 0.0178–0.1653 μM for hCA I and of 0.0172–0.1212 μM against hCA II, respectively. This study is the first example of carbonic anhydrase enzyme inhibition of phthalocyanines.

In this study a novel silicon(iv) phthalocyanine bearing [(2E)-3-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-1-(4-phenoxy)prop-2-en-1-one] group and its quaternized derivative at their axial positions were synthesized for the first time.