A Comparative Evaluation of the Photosensitizing Efficiency of Porphyrins, Chlorins and Isobacteriochlorins toward Melanoma Cancer Cells

Applications and enhancement strategies of ROS-based non-invasive therapies in cancer treatment

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of cancer. Non-invasive therapies that promote intracellular ROS generation, including photodynamic therapy (PDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and chemodynamic therapy (CDT), have emerged as novel approaches for cancer treatment. These therapies directly kill tumor cells by generating ROS, and although they show great promise in tumor treatment, many challenges remain to be addressed in practical applications. Firstly, the inherent complexity of the tumor microenvironment (TME), such as hypoxia and elevated glutathione (GSH) levels, hinders ROS generation, thereby significantly diminishing the efficacy of ROS-based therapies. In addition, these therapies are influenced by their intrinsic mechanisms. To overcome these limitations, various nanoparticle (NP) systems have been developed to improve the therapeutic efficacy of non-invasive therapies against tumors. This review first summarizes the mechanisms of ROS generation for each non-invasive therapy and their current limitations, with a particular focus on the enhancement strategies for each therapy based on NP systems. Additionally, various strategies to modulate the TME are highlighted. These strategies aim to amplify ROS generation in non-invasive therapies and enhance their anti-tumor efficiency. Finally, the current challenges and possible solutions for the clinical translation of ROS-based non-invasive therapies are also discussed.

Unveiling the potent antimicrobial photodynamic therapy in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria - Water remediation with monocharged chlorins

Water pollution is a significant concern worldwide, and it includes contaminants such as antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) offers a non-invasive and non-toxic alternative for the inactivation of these microorganisms. So, this study reports the synthesis, structural characterisation, photophysical properties, and aPDT efficacy of cationic free-base and zinc(II) chlorin (Chl) derivatives bearing N,N-dimethylpyrrolydinium groups (H2Chl 1a and ZnChl 1b). The aPDT assays were performed against two bacterial models: Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-(+)) and Escherichia coli (Gram-(-)). The H2Chl 1a and ZnChl 1b distinct's solubility profile, coupled with their ability to generate singlet oxygen (1O2) under light exposure, (H2Chl 1a, ФΔ = 0.58 < TPP, ФΔ = 0.65 < ZnChl 1b, ФΔ = 0.83) opens up their potential application as photosensitizers (PS) in aPDT. The effectiveness of H2Chl 1a and ZnChl 1b at 1.0 and 5.0 μM in aPDT against S. aureus and E. coli at 500 W m-2 (total exposure time: 60-120 min) showed a viability reduction >6.0 log10 CFU mL-1. Additionally, KI was used as a coadjuvant to potentiate the photoinactivation of E. coli, reaching the method's detection limit (>4.0 log10 RLU). As most of the PS developed to inactivate Gram-negative bacteria are cationic with three or more charges, the fact that the H2Chl 1a and ZnChl 1b with only one cationic charge photoinactivate E. coli at low concentrations and with a reduced light dose, it is an importing discovery that deserves further exploration. These monocharged chlorin dyes have the potential for water remediation.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel meso-Tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrins for Photodynamic Therapy

To discover effective photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT), a series of new meso-tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin (m-Ph4TBP) derivatives were designed, prepared, and characterized. All m-Ph4TBPs own two characteristic absorption bands in the range of 450-500 and 600-700 nm and have the ability to generate singlet oxygen upon photoexcitation. Most of the m-Ph4TBPs demonstrated high photoactivity, among which compounds I4, I6, I12, and I13 induced apoptosis and also exhibited excellent photodynamic activities in vivo. Nonetheless, the liver organs of the I4 and I6-PDT groups showed clear calcifications, whereas the liver tissues of the other PDT groups showed no calcification. It was indicated that compared to phenolic m-Ph4TBPs, glycol m-Ph4TBPs exhibited superior biological safety in mice. According to comprehensive evaluations, m-Ph4TBP I12 displayed excellent photodynamic antitumor efficacy and biological safety and can be regarded as a promising antitumor drug candidate.

Hydrophilic Biocompatible Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles as Nanocarriers for Biosourced Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy

Most photosensitizers of interest for photodynamic therapy-especially porphyrinoids and chlorins-are hydrophobic. To circumvent this difficulty, the use of nanocarriers is an attractive strategy. In this perspective, we have developed highly water-soluble and biocompatible fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONPs) made from citric acid and diethyltriamine which are then activated by ethlynene diamine as nanoplatforms for efficient photosensitizers (PSs). Purpurin 18 (Pp18) was selected as a biosourced chlorin photosensitizer combining the efficient single oxygen generation ability and suitable absorption in the biological spectral window. The simple reaction of activated FONPs with Pp18, which contains a reactive anhydride ring, yielded nanoparticles containing both Pp18 and Cp6 derivatives. These functionalized nanoparticles combine solubility in water, high singlet oxygen generation quantum yield in aqueous media (0.72) and absorption both in the near UV region (FONPS) and in the visible region (Soret band approximately 420 nm as well as Q bands at 500 nm, 560 nm, 660 nm and 710 nm). The functionalized nanoparticles retain the blue fluorescence of FONPs when excited in the near UV region but also show deep-red or NIR fluorescence when excited in the visible absorption bands of the PSs (typically at 520 nm, 660 nm or 710 nm). Moreover, these nanoparticles behave as efficient photosensitizers inducing colorectal cancer cell (HCT116 and HT-29 cell lines) death upon illumination at 650 nm. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values down to, respectively, 0.04 and 0.13 nmol/mL were observed showing the potential of FONPs[Cp6] for the PDT treatment of cancer. In conclusion, we have shown that these novel biocompatible nanoparticles, which can be elaborated from biosourced components, both show deep-red emission upon excitation in the red region and are able to produce singlet oxygen with high efficiency in aqueous environments. Moreover, they show high PDT efficiency on colorectal cancer cells upon excitation in the deep red region. As such, these functional organic nanoparticles hold promise both for PDT treatment and theranostics.

Enhancing Visible-Light Photocatalysis with Pd(II) Porphyrin-Based TiO2 Hybrid Nanomaterials: Preparation, Characterization, ROS Generation, and Photocatalytic Activity

Novel hybrid TiO2-based materials were obtained by adsorption of two different porphyrins on the surface of nanoparticles-commercially available 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS) and properly modified metalloporphyrin-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,6-difluoro-3-sulfophenyl)porphyrin palladium(II) (PdF2POH). The immobilization of porphyrins on the surface of TiO2 was possible due to the presence of sulfonyl groups. To further elevate the adsorption of porphyrin, an anchoring linker-4-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA)-was used. The synthesis of hybrid materials was proven by electronic absorption spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and photoelectrochemistry. Results prove the successful photosensitization of TiO2 to visible light by both porphyrins. However, the presence of the palladium ion in the modifier structure played a key role in strong adsorption, enhanced charge separation, and thus effective photosensitization. The incorporation of halogenated metalloporphyrins into TiO2 facilitates the enhancement of the comprehensive characteristics of the investigated materials and enables the evaluation of their performance under visible light. The effectiveness of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was also determined. Porphyrin-based materials with the addition of PHBA seemed to generate ROS more effectively than other composites. Interestingly, modifications influenced the generation of singlet oxygen for TPPS but not hydroxyl radical, in contrast to PdF2POH, where singlet oxygen generation was not influenced but hydroxyl radical generation was increased. Palladium (II) porphyrin-modified materials were characterized by higher photostability than TPPS-based nanostructures, as TPPS@PHBA-P25 materials showed the highest singlet oxygen generation and may be oxidized during light exposure. Photocatalytic activity tests with two model pollutants-methylene blue (MB) and the opioid drug tramadol (TRML)-confirmed the light dose-dependent degradation of those two compounds, especially PdF2POH@P25, which led to the virtually complete degradation of MB.