Molecules (Sep 2024)

Polyamine Derived Photosensitizer: A Novel Approach for Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer

  • Hao Deng,
  • Ke Xie,
  • Liling Hu,
  • Xiaowen Liu,
  • Qingyun Li,
  • Donghui Xie,
  • Fengyi Xiang,
  • Wei Liu,
  • Weihong Zheng,
  • Shuzhang Xiao,
  • Jun Zheng,
  • Xiao Tan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29174277
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 29, no. 17
p. 4277

Abstract

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Polyamines play a pivotal role in cancer cell proliferation. The excessive polyamine requirement of these malignancies is satisfied through heightened biosynthesis and augmented extracellular uptake via the polyamine transport system (PTS) present on the cell membrane. Meanwhile, photodynamic therapy (PDT) emerges as an effective anti-cancer treatment devoid of drug resistance. Recognizing these intricacies, our study devised a novel polyamine-derived photosensitizer (PS) for targeted photodynamic treatment, focusing predominantly on pancreatic cancer cells. We synthesized and evaluated novel spermine-derived fluorescent probes (N2) and PS (N3), exhibiting selectivity towards pancreatic cancer cells via PTS. N3 showed minimal dark toxicity but significant phototoxicity upon irradiation, effectively causing cell death in vitro. A significant reduction in tumor volume was observed post-treatment with no pronounced dark toxicity using the pancreatic cancer CDX mouse model, affirming the therapeutic potential of N3. Overall, our findings introduce a promising new strategy for cancer treatment, highlighting the potential of polyamine-derived PSs in PDT.

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