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Toxicity and localization studies of a potential photodynamic therapy agent in Drosophila
Author(s) -
Yoho Joshua,
Stroh Colette,
Swavey Shawn,
KangoSingh Madhuri
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/dvg.22760
Subject(s) - photosensitizer , photodynamic therapy , biophysics , chemistry , viability assay , drosophila melanogaster , in vivo , toxicity , in vitro , biology , biochemistry , photochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , organic chemistry , gene
Summary Photodynamic therapy utilizes light, a photosensitizer, and molecular oxygen as a treatment modality for a variety of cancers. We have recently combined ruthenium(II) polypyridyl groups with a zinc(II) centered porphyrin as a new photosensitizer for the treatment of melanoma. In‐vitro studies have indicated that this photosensitizer is toxic to melanoma cells when irradiated with low energy light; however, it is nontoxic to normal cells under similar conditions. To determine the toxicity and cell viability of this compound in‐vivo we present, herein, a study using Drosophila melanogaster . In the absence of light, the new photosensitizer shows no discernible effects to fly larvae at various concentrations of compound and stages of larval development. When the larvae were fed the photosensitizer it was observed, by fluorescence microscopy, that the compound passes through the cell membrane and localizes in the cytosol at lower concentrations and the nucleus at slightly higher concentrations indicating that the compound is not immediately metabolized. genesis 52:309–314, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.