Objective: To evaluate the effects of time on cellular localization of Visudyne after local injection.
Animals: Twenty athymic nude mice.
Procedures: A squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell line (A-431) was injected into right and left dorsolumbar subcutaneous tissue of each mouse, representing treatment (T) and control (C) tumors. In experiment 1 (Exp 1; n = 10) and 2 (Exp 2; n = 10), the T tumors received a local injection of Visudyne (0.1 mg/cm(3)), and C tumors received an equal dose of 5% dextrose in water (D5W). Mice were randomly subdivided into two groups (A and B; n = 5 per group). Mice in Exp 1A and B were sacrificed 1 and 30 min after local injection, respectively. Experiment 1A and B tumors were evaluated by fluorescence microscopy to determine drug localization. Experiment 2A and B tumors were exposed to LED illumination 1 and 30 min after injection, respectively, and evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine ultrastructural tumor cell damage.
Results: Fluorescence was detected within the cytoplasm of T tumors in both Exp 1A and B. Significance was detected in fluorescence intensity between T1 min vs. T30 min (P = 0.03) and between T1 min and C1 min tumors (P = 0.01), respectively. Tumors in Exp 2A and B demonstrated evidence of apoptotic cell death.
Conclusions: Fluorescence microscopy demonstrated higher Visudyne concentration within SCC cytoplasm of 1 min compared with 30-min tumors. Transmission electron microscopy results revealed that tumors treated by photodynamic therapy (PDT) within 30 min of local injection undergo cellular apoptosis.