Novel glycosylated porphyrins have recently been synthesised by researchers from Nanyang Technological University with increased cellular uptake and and photocytotoxicity towards human cancer cells. The groups, led by Ho Sup Yoon and Xue-Wei Liu, have demonstrated that the new compounds locate in the lysosomes of the cancer cells. This is in contrast to previously reported sugar-phorphyrin conjugates – which usually locate in the mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum – and could provide a new angle for treating multidrug-resistant phenotype tumor cells.
The researchers attribute the enhanced cellular uptake and lysosomal location of the glycosylated porphyrins to the sugar moiety. The location of the compounds allowed the researchers to trigger cell death via apoptosis by selectively disrupting the lysosome. Studies are currently being undertaken to investigate the photodynamic activity in vivo on the most promising drug candidate.
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Glycosylated porphyrin derivatives and their photodynamic activity in cancer cells
Seenuvasan Vedachalam, Bo-Hwa Choi, Kalyan Kumar Pasunooti, Kun Mei Ching, Kijoon Lee, Ho Sup Yoon and Xue-Wei Liu
Med. Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0MD00175A
