Hydrophilicity vs hydrophobicity-varying the amphiphilic structure of porphyrins related to the photosensitizer m-THPC

A total of 21 different porphyrins, some of them closely related to the photosensitizer meta-tetra-hydroxyphenylchlorin (m-THPC) with a varied degree of hydrophilic/lipophilic substitution were synthesized employing conventional porphyrin condensation procedures and modem functionalization via organolithium. reagents. For 14 of them, the photodynamic therapy (PDT) related photophysical properties were determined in isotropic solution and in liposome. membrane-model systems. The photophysical data indicate that the localization of m-THPC may be fine-tuned by carefully changing the substitution pattern. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.