Temocene: the porphycene analogue of temoporfin (Foscan®)

Temocene, a porphycene analogue of temoporfin, has been synthesized. Compared to temoporfin, temocene is endowed with 2.5-fold larger absorption coefficients in the red part of the spectrum while keeping its excellent photophysical and singlet oxygen photosensitization ability. While its photodynamic activity towards HeLa cells is lower than that of temoporfin, its higher photostability, lower dark toxicity and mitochondrial localisation make temocene a promising candidate for photodynamic therapy applications.