Photodynamic therapy with a novel zinc phthalocyanine: an innovative approach to hepatocellular carcinoma treatment

Abstract

The photodynamic activity (PDT) of Tetra triethyleneoxysulfonyl zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) was studied on HepG2 and Huh-7 cells a typical example of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC cells showed a dose dependent uptake of ZnPc. Photo-activation of ZnPc (0.5-5 µM) in HCC cells revealed strong PDT effects, leading to a dose-dependent decrease of cancer cells without any sign of re-proliferation and a dose-dependent increase in caspase-3-activity. By contrast, non-photoactivated ZnPc did not induce any cytotoxicity. The formation of ROS and free radical detected in the cytoplasm/nucleus of HCC cells and the expression of apoptotic proteins confirm the apoptotic mode of cell death.