10.1002/(SICI)1099-0690(199912)1999:12<3441::AID-EJOC3441>3.0.CO;2-Y
The research focuses on the synthesis of novel functionalized zinc phthalocyanines, which are compounds with potential applications in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for cancer treatment. The purpose of the study is to develop water-soluble zinc phthalocyanines that can selectively bind to tumor-selective antibodies, thereby increasing the selectivity of PDT. The researchers successfully synthesized several new phthalonitriles and phthalocyaninatozinc compounds, including those with carboxyl groups and amino acid derivatives, which were found to be sufficiently soluble in water and exhibited weak tendencies to form stacked aggregates. In vitro experiments demonstrated that some of the new compounds, such as compound 27, showed good phototoxicity towards cancer cells, while others exhibited acute toxicity. The chemicals used in the synthesis process include 4,5-dibromocatechol, phthalonitriles, zinc(II) acetate, DBU, and various amino acid derivatives, among others. The conclusions drawn from the research suggest that these newly synthesized zinc phthalocyanines could be excellent sensitizers for singlet oxygen generation in PDT, and further investigations involving tumor-selective antibodies are ongoing.