Photochemical studies and nanomolar photodynamic activities of phthalocyanines functionalized with 1,4,7-trioxanonyl moieties at their non-peripheral positions.

Manganese(III), cobalt(II), copper(II), magnesium(II), zinc(II) and metal-free phthalocyanines, possessing 1,4,7-trioxanonyl substituents, at their non-peripheral positions, were subjected to photochemical, photodynamic and biological activity studies. Demetallated phthalocyanine and its metallated d-block analogues, with copper(II), cobalt(II), manganese(III) chloride, were found to be less efficient singlet oxygen generators in comparison to the zinc(II) analogue and zinc(II) phthalocyanine reference. Irradiation of several phthalocyanines for short time periods resulted in a substantially increased cytostatic activity against both suspension (leukemic/lymphoma at 85nM) and solid (cervix carcinoma at 72nM and melanoma at 81nM) tumour cell lines (up to 200-fold).