Production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species by light irradiation of a nitrosyl phthalocyanine ruthenium complex as a strategy for cancer treatment

Dalton Trans. 2014 Mar 14;43(10):4021-5. doi: 10.1039/c3dt52217b.

Abstract

Production of reactive oxygen species has been used in clinical therapy for cancer treatment in a technique known as Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). The success of this therapy depends on oxygen concentration since hypoxia limits the formation of reactive oxygen species with consequent clinical failure of PDT. Herein, a possible synergistic effect between singlet oxygen and nitric oxide (NO) is examined since this scenario may display increased tumoricidal activity. To this end, the trinuclear species [Ru(pc)(pz)2{Ru(bpy)2(NO)}2](PF6)6 (pc = phthalocyanine; pz = pyrazine; bpy = bipyridine) was synthesized to be a combined NO and singlet oxygen photogenerator. Photobiological assays using at 4 × 10(-6) M in the B16F10 cell line result in the decrease of cell viability to 21.78 ± 0.29% of normal under light irradiation at 660 nm. However, in the dark and at the same concentration of compound , viability was 91.82 ± 0.37% of normal. The potential application of a system like in clinical therapy against cancer may be as an upgrade to normal photodynamic therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / radiation effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Coordination Complexes / chemistry*
  • Coordination Complexes / pharmacology
  • Coordination Complexes / radiation effects
  • Indoles / chemistry
  • Isoindoles
  • Light
  • Mice
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Nitric Oxide / chemistry*
  • Photochemotherapy
  • Pyrazines / chemistry
  • Pyridines / chemistry
  • Ruthenium / chemistry*
  • Ruthenium / pharmacology
  • Ruthenium / radiation effects
  • Singlet Oxygen / chemistry*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Coordination Complexes
  • Indoles
  • Isoindoles
  • Pyrazines
  • Pyridines
  • Singlet Oxygen
  • Nitric Oxide
  • Ruthenium
  • phthalocyanine