Executive Summary : | The use of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles in Photodegradative Therapy (PDT) is rapidly evolving, with new photosensitizers entering clinical trials. However, the design, synthesis, and applications of metalloporphyrins as photochemotherapeutic agents are still a growing field. Novel porphyrins with ruthenium inserted to the core are not explored, and palladium porphyrins have not been explored much as PDT photosensitizers. To combine the electronic and redox properties of both porphyrin and Ru(II)/Pd(II) in designing novel metallo-porphyrins for photoactivated chemotherapeutic applications, a series of water-soluble novel polyanionic meso-tetraaryl porphyrins are proposed. Water solubility of Ru(II)/Pd(II) porphyrins is expected to make their clearance easier through the kidney, reducing the issue of prolonged skin photosensitivity of photofrin. Halogenated porphyrins, particularly heavier halogens, display excellent photophysical properties and show efficient population of the triplet state, which could be useful for generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. The researchers plan to study the CO releasing ability of Ru(II) porphyrins in the presence of light and use this property in their anticancer applications. They also plan to design polycationic water-soluble Ru(II)/Pd(II) metalloporphyrins with quaternary nitrogen atoms in meso-aryl groups as novel photosensitizers for PDT. |