Porphyrin (TPP)–Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)–Fullerene (C₆₀) Triad as Novel Sensitizer in Photodynamic Therapy

The unique shape of the fullerene C60 make them good candidates for preparation of supramolecular assemblies with different molecules, as porphyrins. The purpose of our study is the in vitro analysis of the triad tetraphenyl-porhyrin (TPP)–poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)–fullerene (C60)-(TPP-PVP -C60). The cell viabilities before and after irradiations with TPP-PVP-C60 triad has been tested on K562 (leukemia cell line). The uptake of sensitizers into K562 (leukemia cell line) was studied using 1 microM of sensitizer and different times of incubation. In biological medium, no dark cytotoxicity was observed using sensitizer concentrations 0.05–50 microM and 1–18 h of incubation. The cell survival after irradiation of the cells with visible light was dependent upon light-exposure level. A higher photocytotoxic effect was observed for TPP-PVP-C60 triad, which inactivates 80% of cells after 15 min of irradiation. These results show that molecular triad, are a promising model for phototherapeutic agents, with potential applications in cell inactivation by PDT.