Standards for Quantitative Measurement of DNA Damage in Mammalian Cells

As the potential applications of DNA diagnostics continue to expand, there is a need for improved methods and standards for DNA analysis. This report describes several methods that could be considered for the production of reference materials for the quantitative measurement of DNA damage in mammalian cells. With the focus on DNA strand breaks, potentially useful methods for assessing DNA damage in mammalian cells are reviewed. The advantages and limitations of each method, as well as additional concerns with respect to reference material development, are also discussed. In conclusion, we outline strategies for developing candidate DNA damage reference materials that could be adopted by research laboratories in a wide variety of applications.

Photodynamic treatment with hexyl-aminolevulinate mediates reversible thiol oxidation in core oxidative stress signaling proteins

HAL-PDT mediates reversible cysteine oxidation in core proteins involved in oxidative stress and apoptotic signalling.

Poly(D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles as delivery agents for photodynamic therapy: enhancing singlet oxygen release and photototoxicity by surface PEG coating

Poly(D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) are being considered as nanodelivery systems for photodynamic therapy. The physico-chemical and biological aspects of their use remain largely unknown. Herein we report the results of a study of PLGA NPs for the delivery of the model hydrophobic photosensitizer ZnTPP to HeLa cells. ZnTPP was encapsulated in PLGA with high efficiency and the NPs showed negative zeta potentials and diameters close to 110 nm. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) coating, introduced to prevent opsonization and clearance by macrophages, decreased the size and zeta potential of the NPs by roughly a factor of two and improved their stability in the presence of serum proteins. Photophysical studies revealed two and three populations of ZnTPP and singlet oxygen in uncoated and PEGylated NPs, respectively. Singlet oxygen is confined within the NPs in bare PLGA while it is more easily released into the external medium after PEG coating, which contributes to a higher photocytotoxicity towards HeLa cells in vitro. PLGA NPs are internalized by endocytosis, deliver their cargo to lysosomes and induce cell death by apoptosis upon exposure to light. In conclusion, PLGA NPs coated with PEG show high potential as delivery systems for photodynamic applications.

A comprehensive tutorial on in vitro characterization of new photosensitizers for photodynamic antitumor therapy and photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms

In vitro research performed on eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell cultures usually represents the initial step for characterization of a novel photosensitizer (PS) intended for application in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer or photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of microorganisms. Although many experimental steps of PS testing make use of the wide spectrum of methods readily employed in cell biology, special aspects of working with photoactive substances, such as the autofluorescence of the PS molecule or the requirement of light protection, need to be considered when performing in vitro experiments in PDT/PDI. This tutorial represents a comprehensive collection of operative instructions, by which, based on photochemical and photophysical properties of a PS, its uptake into cells, the intracellular localization and photodynamic action in both tumor cells and microorganisms novel photoactive molecules may be characterized for their suitability for PDT/PDI. Furthermore, it shall stimulate the efforts to expand the convincing benefits of photodynamic therapy and photodynamic inactivation within both established and new fields of applications and motivate scientists of all disciplines to get involved in photodynamic research.