Photokinetic and photophysical measurements of the sensitized photooxidation of the tryptophyl residue in N-acetyl tryptophanamide and in human serum albumin

Heme binding to human alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor

BACKGROUND

Heme is a unique prosthetic group of various hemoproteins that perform diverse biological functions; however, in its free form heme is intrinsically toxic in vivo. Due to its potential toxicity, heme binding to plasma proteins is an important safety issue in regard to protein therapeutics derived from human blood. While heme binding by hemopexin, albumin and α(1)-microglobulin has been extensively studied, the role of other plasma proteins remains largely unknown.

METHODS

We examined two acute-phase plasma proteins, haptoglobin (Hp) and alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (α(1)-PI) for possible interactions with heme and bilirubin (BR), the final product of heme degradation, using various techniques: UV/Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), and surface plasmon resonance (SPR).

RESULTS

According to our data, Hp exhibits a very weak association with both heme and BR; α(1)-PI's affinity to BR is also very low. However, α(1)-PI's affinity to heme (K(D) 2.0×10(-8)M) is of the same order of magnitude as that of albumin (1.26×10(-8)M). The data for α(1)-PI binding with protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) suggest that the elimination of the iron atom from the porphyrin structure results in almost 350-fold lower affinity (K(D) 6.93×10(-6)M), thus indicating that iron is essential for the heme coordination with the α(1)-PI.

CONCLUSIONS

This work demonstrates for the first time that human α(1)-PI is a heme binding protein with an affinity to heme comparable to that of albumin.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Our data may have important implications for safety and efficacy of plasma protein therapeutics.

Ground- and excited-state interactions of 2,7,12,17-tetraphenylporphycene with model target biomolecules for type-I photodynamic therapy

Biosubstrate-sensitizer binding is one of the factors that enhances the type-I mechanism over the type-II in the whole photodynamic process. 2,7,12,17-Tetraphenylporphycene (TPPo), a second-generation photosensitizer, is a hydrophobic compound with good photophysical properties for photodynamic therapy applications that has proved its ability for the photoinactivation of different cell lines. Nevertheless, little is known about its mechanism of action. This paper focuses on the study of the interaction/binding of TPPo with different model biomolecules that may favor the type-I mechanism in the overall photodynamic process, including nucleosides, proteins, and phospholipids. Compared with more hydrophilic photosensitizers, it is concluded that TPPo is more likely to undergo type-II (singlet oxygen) than type-I (electron transfer) photodynamic processes in biological environments.

The binding of analogs of porphyrins and chlorins with elongated side chains to albumin

In previous studies, we demonstrated that elongation of side chains of several sensitizers endowed them with higher affinity for artificial and natural membranes and caused their deeper localization in membranes. In the present study, we employed eight hematoporphyrin and protoporphyrin analogs and four groups containing three chlorin analogs each, all synthesized with variable numbers of methylenes in their alkyl carboxylic chains. We show that these tetrapyrroles' affinity for bovine serum albumin (BSA) and their localization in the binding site are also modulated by chain lengths. The binding constants of the hematoporphyrins and protoporphyrins to BSA increased as the number of methylenes was increased. The binding of the chlorins depended on the substitution at the meso position opposite to the chains. The quenching of the sensitizers' florescence by external iodide ions decreased as the side chains became longer, indicating to deeper insertion of the molecules into the BSA binding pocket. To corroborate this conclusion, we studied the efficiency of photodamage caused to tryptophan in BSA upon illumination of the bound sensitizers. The efficiency was found to depend on the side-chain lengths of the photosensitizer. We conclude that the protein site that hosts these sensitizers accommodates different analogs at positions that differ slightly from each other. These differences are manifested in the ease of access of iodide from the external aqueous phase, and in the proximity of the photosensitizers to the tryptophan. In the course of this study, we developed the kinetic equations that have to be employed when the sensitizer itself is being destroyed.

Sugar-dependent photodynamic effect of glycoconjugated porphyrins: A study on photocytotoxicity, photophysical properties and binding behavior to bovine serum albumin (BSA)

The photocytotoxicity of four glycoconjugated porphyrins, namely 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[4-(beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy)phenyl]porphyrin (p-1a), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[4-(beta-D-galactopyranosyloxy)phenyl]porphyrin (p-1b), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[4-(beta-D-xylopyranosyloxy)phenyl]porphyrin (p-1c) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[4-(beta-D-arabinopyranosyloxy)phenyl]porphyrin (p-1d), was evaluated in HeLa cells in the concentration range from 1 to 7 microM using a light dose of 16 J x cm(-2) with a wavelength greater than 500 nm. The photocytotoxicity depends on the sugar moieties, and increases in the order of p-1d<p-1a<p-1b<p-1c. The order of the photocytotoxicity is at variance with that of the cellular uptake reported previously. On the other hand, the photophysical properties of the glycoconjugated porphyrins also depends on the sugar moieties in physiological media such as phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing 10 wt.% bovine serum albumin (BSA). In particular, the oscillator strength in the range above 500 nm increases in the order of p-1d=p-1a<p-1c<p-1b, which is good agreement with the order of the photocytotoxicity in HeLa cells. The interaction between the glycoconjugated porphyrins and BSA was evaluated by means of electronic absorption, fluorometric and circular dichroic (CD) titrations. Fluorometric titration showed no differences in the apparent binding constants, K, between the glycoconjugated porphyrins p-1a, p-1b, p-1c and p-1d. On the other hand, the number of binding sites, n, depends on the sugar moieties of the glycoconjugated porphyrin, and increases in the order of p-1b<p-1a<p-1d<p-1c. CD titration was also characterized by the n value determined by fluorometric titration, suggesting the n value is a good descriptor for the interaction between glycoconjugated porphyrins and BSA. However, it was found that the n value was poorly related to the photophysical properties in physiological media and the photocytotoxicity. Even though the role of the sugar moieties on the photodynamic effect is not fully understood, the photophysical properties of the glycoconjugated porphyrins are strongly modulated by the physiological media resulting in the sugar-dependent photocytotoxicity.

Structural basis of the cofactor function of denatured albumin in plasminogen activation by tissue-type plasminogen activator

Certain denatured proteins function as cofactors in the activation of plasminogen by tissue-type plasminogen activator. The present study approached the structural requirements for the cofactor activity of a model protein (human serum albumin). Heat denaturation of 100-230 microM albumin (80 degrees C and 60-90 min) reproducibly yielded aggregates with radius in the range of 10-150 nm. The major determinant of the cofactor potency was the size of the aggregates. The increase of particle size correlated with the cofactor activity, and there was a minimal requirement for the size of the cofactor (about 10 nm radius). Similar to other proteins, the molecular aggregates with cofactor function contained a significant amount of antiparallel intermolecular beta-sheets. Plasmin pre-digestion increased the cofactor efficiency (related to C-terminal lysine exposure) and did not affect profoundly the structure of the aggregates, suggesting a long-lasting and even a self-augmenting cofactor function of the denatured protein.

A novel tetracationic phthalocyanine as a potential skin phototherapeutic agent

An amphiphilic tetracationic derivative of Zn(II)-phthalocyanine (RLP068) was prepared by means of chemical synthesis and was showed to possess efficient photophysical and photosensitizing properties against model biological substrates. RLP068 was incorporated into a gel formulation, which allowed its ready penetration into the epidermal layers, but not into the dermis, of both Balb/c and hairless SKH1 mice after 1-2 h of topical deposition. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that the phthalocyanine thus formulated does not enter the general blood circulation. The epidermis-associated amount of phthalocyanine was sufficient to cause an important cutaneous damage upon irradiation with red light (600-700 nm; 100-180 mW/cm(2), 160 J/cm(2)); the latter was confined to the epidermal area with no apparent diffusion to the underlying dermal layers or appearance of photosensitivity in distal skin areas. A systematic investigation of the interplay among the different parameters (deposition time of the formulated phthalocyanine on mouse skin, irradiation fluence rate and total light fluence) allowed us to identify the minimal phototoxic dose, as well as to define irradiation protocols allowing the repeatability of the phototherapeutic treatment. The potential of RLP068 to act as a PDT agent for cutaneous diseases is briefly discussed.

Noninvasive auto-photoreduction used as a tool for studying structural changes in heme-copper oxidases by FTIR spectroscopy

We demonstrate an efficient Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic method, termed "auto-photoreduction," that uses anaerobic photo-induced internal electron transfer to monitor reaction-initiated changes of heme-copper oxidases. It can be applied without the use of either expensive electrochemical equipment, or caged compounds, which cause significant background signals. At high irradiation power, carbon monoxide is released from high-spin heme a of cytochrome c oxidase and heme o from cytochrome bo(3). Photochemistry is initiated at wavelengths <355 nm, and the photochemical action spectrum has a maximum of 290 nm for cytochrome bo(3), which is consistent with the possible intermediate involvement of tyrosinate or an activated state of tyrosine. We propose that the final electron donors are proton channel water molecules. In the pH range of 4-9, the noninvasive auto-photoreduction method yields highly reproducible FTIR redox difference spectra within a broad range, resolving a number of vibrational changes outside the amide I region (1600-1640 cm(-1)). Furthermore, it provides details of redox-induced changes in the spectral region between 1600 and 1100 cm(-1). The auto-photoreduction method should be universally applicable to heme proteins.

A comparative kinetic study on the singlet molecular oxygen-mediated photoxidation of alpha- and beta-chymotrypsins

Kinetic aspects of the sensitized photooxidation of alpha- and beta-chymotrypsins have been studied at pH 6 and 8. The sensitization, employing classical O2(1Deltag)-photogenerators, such as xanthene dyes, is a kinetically intricate process because of the presence of ground state dye-protein associations and to the simultaneous participation of superoxide ion and singlet molecular oxygen [O2(1Deltag)]. Both proteins, that possess the same distribution pattern of photooxidizable amino acids, suffer a pure O2(1Deltag)-mediated photodynamic attack, using the carbonylic sensitizer Perinaphthenone. Overall and reactive rate constants for the O2(1Deltag)-quenching (in the order of 108 and 107/M/s, respectively), and rates of oxygen consumption determined by time-resolved, spectroscopic and polarographic methods indicate that alpha- and beta-chymotrypsins are less photooxidizable at pH 6, as a result of an enhancement of the O2(1Deltag)-physical quenching component. In general terms, beta-chymotrypsin exhibits the greater overall proclivity to interact with O2(1Deltag), whereas structural factors, possibly evidenced by a higher exposure of the reactive tryptophan residues, impart an increased photooxidation degree to the proteins at pH 8, specially to the alpha-chymotrypsin.

The interaction of human serum albumin and model membranes

It is frequently observed that the interaction of human serum albumin (HSA) with different lipid membranes may affect molecular transport both in vivo and in vitro experiments. There was a lack of consensus however in the interpretation of results. Earlier studies on the serum albumin membrane association had different conclusions depending on the source of protein, the preparation and the composition of the membranes applied. In this work the change of heat capacity, a sensitive parameter of the interacting system, is compared for uni- and multilamellar liposomes (dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcoline/dimyristoyl-phosphatidylglycerol) at 0, 1x10(-3), 8x10(-3), 1.2x10(-2) and 3.3x10(-2) HSA-lipid ratios. The thermal properties of the sonicated and vortexed liposomes show remarkable differences. The presence of HSA in both types of liposomes also modified their thermal properties, providing clear evidence for protein-vesicle interaction, different in the uni- and multilamellar liposomes. In the case of unilamellar liposomes, two additional transitions were observed at lower temperature, independently of the HSA-lipid ratio, and the protein binding mode to smaller or larger sized liposomes was also distinguishable. The addition of HSA to the multilamellar liposomes resulted in an increase of the pretransition temperature only at the higher HSA-lipid ratio, but the main transition temperature was not affected.

Photodynamic effect in lysozyme: a kinetic study in different micellar media

The influence of medium heterogeneity on the kinetics of the photodynamic effect on native protein lysozyme (Lyso), as well as the interaction of protein and the medium, anionic (SDS) micelles, neutral (Triton X-100) micelles and reversed micelles of AOT, were investigated at pH 8. The interaction between Lyso, Triton X-100 and SDS micelles was quantified by determining the respective associations constant (K(Lyso)). Values were 37 M(-1) for Triton X-100 and 514 M(-1) for SDS, indicating that the Lyso molecule binds Triton X-100 micelles effectively and SDS micelles even more strongly. Time-resolved phosphorescence detection (TRPD) indicates that the protein interacts with O2 (1deltag), with overall rate constants of the order of 10(8) M(-1)/S in direct micelles and 10(7) M(-1)/S in reverse micelles. Apparent reactive rate constants for eosin-sensitized photo-oxidation (singlet molecular oxygen [O2 (1deltag)]-mediated) of the protein were determined through oxygen uptake experiments for the direct micelles, while the fade in the protein fluorescence spectrum upon sensitized irradiation was used in AOT. The results indicate that the O2 (1deltag) attack on the interior of Lyso on amino acid residues, was more effective in leading to a photo-oxidative reaction in SDS and in Triton X-100 at surfactant concentrations < 1 x 10(-2) M than in a homogeneous solution. However, Lyso reactivity reached a maximum when the concentration of micelles was approximately 1 x 10(-5), the same as the protein concentration In AOT reverse micelles, the quenching rate constants decreased > 75% with respect to water. This effect can be attributed to the decrease in accessibility of the amino acid residues to O2 (1deltag).

Serum albumin-lipid membrane interaction influencing the uptake of porphyrins

It is frequently observed in pharmaceutical practice that entrapped substances are lost rapidly when liposomes are used as carriers to introduce substances into cells. The reason for the loss is the interaction of serum components with liposomes. To elucidate the mechanism of this phenomenon the partition of mesoporphyrin (MP) was systematically studied in model systems composed of various lipids and human serum albumin (HSA). As surface charge is an important factor in the interaction, neutral (1, 2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcoline, DMPC) and negatively charged (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcoline/1, 2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylglycerol, DMPC/DMPG = 19/1 w/w) lipids were compared. The liposome/apomyoglobin system was the negative control. The size distribution of sonicated samples was carefully analyzed by dynamic light scattering. Constants of association of MP to the proteins and to the liposomes were determined: K(p,1) = (2.5 +/- 0.7) x 10(7) M(-1), K(p,2) = (1.0 +/- 0.7) x 10(8) M(-1), K(L,1) = (1.3 +/- 0.3) x 10(5) M(-1), and K(L,2) = (3.2 +/- 0.6) x 10(4) M(-1) for HSA, apomyoglobin, DMPC, and DMPC/DMPG liposomes, respectively. These data were used to evaluate the partition experiments. The transfer of MP from the liposomes to the proteins was followed by fluorescence spectroscopy. In the case of apomyoglobin, the experimental points could be interpreted by ruling out the protein-liposome interaction. In the case of HSA, the efflux of MP from the liposomes was strongly inhibited above a critical HSA concentration range for negatively charged vesicles. This effect was interpreted as the result of HSA coat formation on the liposome surface. This direct interaction is significant for small liposomes. The interpretation is fully supported by differential scanning calorimetry experiments.

Molten globule-like state of human serum albumin at low pH

Human serum albumin (HSA), under conditions of low pH, is known to exist in two isomeric forms, the F form at around pH 4.0 and the E form below 3.0. We studied its conformation in the acid-denatured E form using far-UV and near-UV CD, binding of a hydrophobic probe, 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS), thermal transition by far-UV and near-UV CD, tryptophan fluorescence, quenching of tryptophan fluorescence using a neutral quencher, acrylamide and viscosity measurements. The results show that HSA at pH 2.0 is characterized by a significant amount of secondary structure, as evident from far-UV CD spectra. The near-UV CD spectra showed a profound loss of tertiary structure. A marked increase in ANS fluorescence signified extensive solvent exposure of non-polar clusters. The temperature-dependence of both near-UV and far-UV CD signals did not exhibit a co-operative thermal transition. The intrinsic fluorescence and acrylamide quenching of the lone tryptophan residue, Trp214, showed that, in the acid-denatured state, it is buried in the interior in a non-polar environment. Intrinsic viscosity measurements showed that the acid-denatured state is relatively compact compared with that of the denatured state in 7 M guanidine hydrochloride. These results suggest that HSA at pH 2.0 represents the molten globule state, which has been shown previously for a number of proteins under mild denaturing conditions.

Photoinactivation of amelanotic and melanotic melanoma cells sensitized by axially substituted Si-naphthalocyanines

The photosensitizing activity of the new far-red absorbing naphthalocyanine SiNc [OSi (n-C10H21)3] [OSi(CH3)2(CH2)3N(CH3)2], (DAP-SiNc), and of its analogue SiNc [OSi(i-C4H9)2(n-C18H37)]2, (IsoBO-SiNc), was studied with two cell variants of B16 melanoma, the amelanotic clone B78H1 and the highly pigmented B16F1 cells. Upon excitation with a 776 nm diode laser, DAP-SiNc appeared to be a markedly more efficient photosensitizer than isoBO-SiNc. The higher photoefficiency of DAP-SiNc was likely to reflect its accumulation in significantly larger amounts by both cell types, as well as a much smaller tendency to undergo aggregation when bound to the cells. In any case, melanotic cells were less sensitive to the photoinactivating action of DAP-SiNc: the protective action of melanin was a consequence of an optical filtering of the 776 nm light and an appreciable shortening of the DAP-SiNc triplet lifetime (40 microseconds for the amelanotic vs. 17 microseconds for the melanotic cells). Functional and morphological studies on irradiated cells showed that cell death due to DAP-SiNc photosensitization was mainly correlated with the modification of targets located in the lysosomes and the cytoplasmic membrane.

Aggregation phenomena in the complexes of iron tetraphenylporphine sulfonate with bovine serum albumin

Binding of Fe(III) meso-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)-porphyrin (FeTPPS4) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by UV-VIS absorption, fluorescence quenching, circular dichroism, 1H NMR, and ESR. At excess of BSA, the bound form of FeTPPS4 is a high-spin monomer exhibiting a Soret band at 417 nm, a broad NMR peak at 10.3 ppm, an ESR signal at g = 5.7-5.9, and a strong enhancement of magnetic relaxation of water protons. In the intermediate concentration range, a formation of nonparamagnetic bound aggregates of FeTPPS4 occurs (up to 10-15 molecules at pH 6.0) with a Soret band at 414 nm and NMR peaks at 7.0, 8.1, and 12.7 ppm. In the physiologic pH range, BSA binds the monomeric form of FeTPPS4 with an association constant of about 10(8) M-1, the affinity to oxo-dimers in solution being much lower. BSA itself is also subject to aggregation with an average aggregation number of 4-8 in the physiological pH range. It is assumed that aggregation phenomena may play an important role, both in the relaxation efficiency of metalloporphyrins as MRI contrast agents and in the blood transport of porphyrin drugs by albumins.

Binding of manganese and iron tetraphenylporphine sulfonates to albumin is relevant to their contrast properties

The interaction of Fe(III) and Mn(III) complexes of TPPS4 with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by T1 relaxation measurements of water protons and high resolution 1H NMR of the porphyrin moieties. At excess of BSA, both metalloporphyrins bind to BSA as the high spin monomers. The relaxivity of bound MnTPPS4 is significantly higher as compared to the free form in solution. When metalloporphyrins are in excess, they aggregate at the BSA surface, up to two MnTPPS4, and up to 10-15 FeTPPS4 units per BSA globule. Bound aggregates are unable to enhance magnetic relaxation of water protons due to the antiferromagnetic coupling between metal ions in the aggregates. Therefore, the dose-effect dependences for metalloporphyrins in the range of metalloporphyrin/BSA ratio of 0 to 25 at the constant BSA concentration at pH 7.4 are characterized by a local maximum at about 2 for MnTPPS4, and a global maximum at about 3 for FeTPPS4, MnTPPS4 complex is more effective than FeTPPS4 in the whole concentration range. It is suggested that the difference in binding and aggregation properties of metalloporphyrins may be relevant to their relaxation efficiency in vivo, blood transport, and biodistribution.

Photocytotoxicity of water-soluble metalloporphyrin derivatives

A new water-soluble porphyrin derivative, 2,4-bis(1-decyloxyethyl)-deuteroporphyrinyl-6,7-bisaspart ic acid (C10-DP), and its metal complexes (Ga, I(n), Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni and Fe) were examined for their physicochemical properties (absorption, fluorescence, triplet lifetime and partition coefficient) and photocytotoxicity on HeLa cells. The five derivatives with longer (> 1 ms) triplet lifetimes (free base, Zn, Ga, I(n) and Sn complexes) exhibited remarkable photocytotoxicity, and the other derivatives (Mn, Cu, Ni and Fe), which had or were deduced to have fairly short (< 0.01 ms) triplet lifetimes, manifested no photocytotoxicity, indicating that the triplet lifetime of these derivatives played a significant role in their photocytotoxicity. Cellular fluorescence due to C10-DP and its gallium complex was observed mainly on the plasma membrane at the concentrations showing significant photocytotoxicity with low (< 32.6%) cytotoxicity in the dark (2-10 microM).

Influence of the peptide bond on the singlet molecular oxygen-mediated (O2[1 delta g]) photooxidation of histidine and methionine dipeptides. A kinetic study

The dye-sensitized photooxidation of L-histidine (His) and L-methionine (Met) and their simplest dipeptides with glycine (Gly) (His-Gly, Gly-His Gly-Met) and Met-methyl ester (Met-ME) mediated by singlet molecular oxygen (O2[1 delta g]) was studied. The overall rate constants in acetonitrile-H2O (kt) for O2(1 delta g) quenching were measured by time-resolved phosphorescence detection. In H2O a competitive kinetic method was employed. In both solvents the reactive rate constants (kr) were determined to discriminate between the overall and physical contributions to the quenching. The kinetic and mechanistic aspects of the interaction are discussed. For His-Gly, the peptide bond has practically no effect on the kinetics of photooxidation. For Gly-His the overall rate constant is much higher than that for His and His-Gly, in both H2O and acetonitrile-H2O. The main contribution to kt (for Gly-His) is the physical quenching of O2(1 delta g). In water the kt/kr ratio for free His and His-Gly is 1.0, reaching a value of 2.0 in the organic solvent-H2O mixture. The rates of -NH2 loss upon sensitized photooxidation in all cases parallel the trend of kr values. The main results for the His series indicate that: (1) a polar environment favors autoprotection (i.e. an increase in the contribution of physical quenching) against photodynamic effects; (2) only the rate constant for reactive interaction with O2(1 delta g) does not depend on the location of the peptide bond involving His. For Met derivatives the kt values are higher in both solvents than that for free Met.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The mechanism of photosensitization in photodynamic therapy: chemiluminescence caused by photosensitization of porphyrins in saline containing human serum albumin

Chemiluminescence (CL) caused by photosensitization of porphyrins in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution containing 3% human serum albumin (HSA) was observed for the first time. Irrespective of porphyrins concerned, CL shows a spectrum ranging from 380 to 520 nm with a peak near 450 nm and decays almost single-exponentially with a lifetime of about 15 s. The intensity of CL depends on concentrations of porphyrins and HSA in PBS solution. We have examined a number of porphyrins and observed CL for the compounds with triplet lifetimes longer than 0.1 ms. The appearance and quenching of CL by photosensitization of porphyrin-HSA systems indicate that type II reaction by singlet oxygen occurs significantly in photodynamic therapy resulting in hypoxic regions in environments surrounding the sensitizer.

The mechanism of photosensitization in photodynamic therapy: phosphorescence behavior of porphyrin derivatives in saline solution containing human serum albumin

The phosphorescence properties, especially the dynamic behavior of metal free and metal complexed porphyrins, have been studied in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing 0-3% human serum albumin (HSA). 6,7-Bisaspartyl-2,4-bis (1-hexyloxyethyl)-deutero- porphyrin (DP) and its gallium(III), zinc(II), and indium(III) complexes are used as photosensitizers. Upon irradiation, a solution of porphyrins containing more than 0.1% HSA shows phosphorescence with a lifetime longer than 1 ms. With an increase in irradiation time, phosphorescence intensities and lifetimes of porphyrins increase, depending upon their concentrations and triplet lifetimes, and approach saturated values close to those under deaerated conditions. The experimental results may be interpreted in terms of hypoxia induced by photosensitization in a local environment surrounding the sensitizer. The hypoxia is caused by the reaction between proteins and singlet molecular oxygen generated by photosensitization of porphyrins. Phosphorescence behavior of sensitizers in HSA PBS solution gives significant information for classifying photosensitizers as to their efficacy for photodynamic therapy.

Photochemical and photosensitizing properties of monomeric and dimeric Sn(IV)-protoporphyrin

Sn(IV)-protoporphyrin IX (Sn-Pp) in aqueous media exists as a mixture of monomeric and dimeric species, which can be readily distinguished on the basis of their absorption maxima at around 410 and 386 nm respectively. Sn-Pp dimers prevail as the pH is decreased and are characterized by a lower fluorescence quantum yield, a larger tendency to undergo photobleaching and a reduced photosensitizing efficiency compared with the Sn-Pp monomer. The photosensitizing action of Sn-Pp appears to involve the intermediacy of singlet oxygen (1O2) as shown by photo-oxidation studies with N-acetyl-tryptophanamide in light and deuterated water solutions. Using 1,3-diphenyl-isobenzofuran as a substrate, the quantum yield of 1O2 generation by monomeric Sn-Pp was found to be about 0.6.

Quenching of singlet oxygen by human plasma

Direct measurements of the decay of singlet oxygen phosphorescence at 1270 nm were made in human plasma diluted with various amounts of deuterium oxide. The Stern-Volmer plot of the singlet oxygen lifetimes was linear up to 15% plasma concentration (vol/vol). Extrapolation of these measurements to 100% plasma content gave a singlet oxygen lifetime of 1.04 +/- 0.03 microseconds in human plasma. Biological molecules accounted for 77% of the total singlet oxygen quenching while water accounted for 23% of the quenching. The contributions of various types of biological molecules to the total singlet oxygen quenching were calculated from their plasma concentrations and their quenching constants. Plasma proteins quenched most of the singlet oxygen. Uric acid also quenched a significant amount of singlet oxygen (12%). Tocopherols, carotenoids, ascorbic acid and bilirubin made only small contributions to the total singlet oxygen quenching (less than or equal to 4%).

Critical importance of the triplet lifetime of photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy of tumor

The relation between the lifetimes of the triplet states of various porphyrins and their photosensitizing effects on the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of tumor has been examined. Diethylene-triamine pentaacetic acid ester of 4-[1-(2-hydroxy-ethyloxy)ethyl]-2-vinyl deuteroporphyrin-IX gallium (III) complex (Ga-DP), zinc (II) complex (Zn-DP), and manganese (III) complex (Mn-DP) and Photofrin II (PII) are used as the photosensitizer. The triplet lifetimes have been measured for the samples adsorbed on filter paper (FP) and found to be 57 ms (Ga-DP), 26 ms (Zn-DP), less than or equal to 10 microseconds (Mn-DP) and 9 ms (PII). The phosphorescence of Ga-DP in tumor-bearing golden hamsters are measured both in tumor tissue and in liver. They show bi-exponential decay with the lifetimes of about 5 and 20 ms. From the values, the generation rate, kct[3O2], of singlet molecular oxygen in living animal tissue may be estimated to be an order of 10(2) s-1. The PDT effects have been quantitatively investigated for in vitro experiments; upon irradiation the growth inhibitions of mouse p388 leukemia cells are obtained as a function of concentration of Ga-DP, Zn-DP, Mn-DP and PII. The experimental results indicate that the PDT effects depend essentially on the triplet lifetimes of the photosensitizers.