New porphyrin photosensitizers-Synthesis, singlet oxygen yield, photophysical properties and application in PDT

This research on porphyrin-based photosensitizer system has a very important theoretical and practical significance in the photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment of cancer. Based on this, in this article, a series of porphyrin derivatives were first designed and synthesized, and a push-pull porphyrin photosensitizer with two symmetrical ethanethioate groups was finally constructed. Based on the characterization of their chemical structures (H-1 and C-13 NMR, MS, IR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy) and the use of the density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent DFT (TDDFT) to address the nature of the excited states as well as the dark/phototoxicity, the results have indicated the relationship between the porphyrin structure and properties. The experimental and theoretical UV-Vis absorption properties of porphyrins were discussed. The four porphyrin compounds synthesized all demonstrated a high capacity to generate singlet oxygen under long-wavelength (590 nm) light and low dark toxicity. Compared with the conventional porphyrin photosensitizers, P4 with a CT band (from 580 to 750 nm) is beneficial to the penetration of the light, presenting the potential for applications in PDT.

Automated summary

Research on porphyrin-based photosensitizer system is of great theoretical and practical significance in photodynamic therapy (PDT) for cancer treatment. In this article, a series of porphyrin derivatives were designed and synthesized, leading to the construction of a push-pull porphyrin photosensitizer with two symmetrical ethanethioate groups. Through characterization and theoretical analysis, the relationship between porphyrin structure and properties was revealed. The synthesized porphyrin compounds demonstrated high singlet oxygen generation and low dark toxicity under long-wavelength light.