Combination of PDT and NOPDT with a Tailored BODIPY Derivative

Loretta Lazzarato; Elena Gazzano; Marco Blangetti; Aurore Fraix; Federica Sodano; Giulia  Maria Picone; Roberta Fruttero; Alberto Gasco; Chiara Riganti; Salvatore Sortino

doi:10.3390/antiox8110531

Antioxidants (Nov 2019)

Combination of PDT and NOPDT with a Tailored BODIPY Derivative

Loretta Lazzarato,
Elena Gazzano,
Marco Blangetti,
Aurore Fraix,
Federica Sodano,
Giulia Maria Picone,
Roberta Fruttero,
Alberto Gasco,
Chiara Riganti,
Salvatore Sortino

Affiliations

Loretta Lazzarato: Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
Elena Gazzano: Department of Oncology, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
Marco Blangetti: Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
Aurore Fraix: Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
Federica Sodano: Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
Giulia Maria Picone: Department of Oncology, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
Roberta Fruttero: Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
Alberto Gasco: Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
Chiara Riganti: Department of Oncology, University of Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
Salvatore Sortino: Department of Drug Sciences, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox8110531
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 11
p. 531

Abstract

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The engineering of photosensitizers (PS) for photodynamic therapy (PDT) with nitric oxide (NO) photodonors (NOPD) is broadening the horizons for new and yet to be fully explored unconventional anticancer treatment modalities that are entirely controlled by light stimuli. In this work, we report a tailored boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivative that acts as a PS and a NOPD simultaneously upon single photon excitation with highly biocompatible green light. The photogeneration of the two key species for PDT and NOPDT, singlet oxygen (1O2) and NO, has been demonstrated by their direct detection, while the formation of NO is shown not to be dependent on the presence of oxygen. Biological studies carried out using A375 and SKMEL28 cancer cell lines, with the aid of suitable model compounds that are based on the same BODIPY light harvesting core, unambiguously reveal the combined action of 1O2 and NO in inducing amplified cancer cell mortality exclusively under irradiation with visible green light.

Published in Antioxidants

ISSN: 2076-3921 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Therapeutics. Pharmacology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/antioxidants

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