Selective Photodynamic Activity of Tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrins with and without Acetyl Protecting Groups on Cancer and Normal Cells.

Tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin (1) and tetrakis(4-acetamidophenyl)porphyrin (2) were dissolved in water with the incorporation of a polysaccharide (λ-carrageenan (CGN)) as a water-solubilizing agent. Although the photodynamic activity of the CGN-2 complex was considerably lower than that of the CGN-1 complex, the selectivity index (SI; IC in a normal cell/IC in a cancer cell) of the CGN-2 complex was considerably higher than that of the CGN-1 complex. This is because the photodynamic activity of the CGN-2 complex was significantly affected by the intracellular uptakes by the normal and cancer cells.

Aqueous solutions with information on solids: room-temperature phosphorescence of polysaccharide-benzophenone complexes.

Benzophenone and its derivatives emit crystallization-induced phosphorescence despite their simple structures. To easily modify their phosphorescence properties, we prepared phosphorescence-emitting aqueous solutions of polysaccharide-benzophenone and polysaccharide-4,4'-difluorobenzophenone complexes, which exhibit excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability.