Issue 16, 2023

Sn(iv)-porphyrinoids for photodynamic anticancer and antimicrobial chemotherapy

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a mode of treatment for different types of cancers, which involves a nontoxic photosensitizer (PS), a light source to activate the PS, and ground-state molecular oxygen (3O2). Light activation of the PS leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which initiates a toxic effect on the surrounding cellular substrates, thereby destroying the cancerous cells. The commercially used PDT drug Photofrin® which is a tetrapyrrolic porphyrin-based photosensitizer has drawbacks such as aggregation in water, prolonged skin photosensitivity, variability in chemical compositions, and minimal absorbance in the red-light region. Metallation of the porphyrin core with diamagnetic metal ions aids the photogeneration of singlet oxygen (ROS). Metalating with Sn(IV) provides a six-coordination octahedral geometry with trans-diaxial ligands. This approach suppresses aggregation in aqueous media and increases ROS generation upon light exposure due to the heavy atom effect. Bulky trans-diaxial ligation hinders the approach of the Sn(IV) porphyrins, thereby suppressing aggregation effects. In this review, we document the recently reported Sn(IV) porphyrinoids and their photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) activity properties. In a similar manner to PDT, the photosensitizer is used to kill the bacteria upon irradiation with light during PACT. Often, bacteria develop resistance against conventional chemotherapeutic drugs over time, decreasing their antibacterial properties. However, in the case of PACT, it is difficult to generate resistance against singlet oxygen produced by the photosensitizer.

Graphical abstract: Sn(iv)-porphyrinoids for photodynamic anticancer and antimicrobial chemotherapy

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
26 Feb 2023
Accepted
28 Mar 2023
First published
28 Mar 2023

Dalton Trans., 2023,52, 5000-5018

Sn(IV)-porphyrinoids for photodynamic anticancer and antimicrobial chemotherapy

B. Babu, J. Mack and T. Nyokong, Dalton Trans., 2023, 52, 5000 DOI: 10.1039/D3DT00603D

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