Studies on the new tumor-photolocalizing and photochemotherapeutic agent photocarcinorin (PsD-007)

Photocarcinorin (PsD-007), a new porphyrin preparation for tumor-photolocalization and photodynamic therapy, was prepared. It differs from the commonly used photosensitizer HpD both in chemical composition and spectral properties. PsD-007 is composed of 7 different porphyrins, structures of which were shown through chromatographic separation in combination with spectroscopic determinations and confirmed by comparative analyses with those of their corresponding synthetic authentic porphyrin samples. Three out of these porphyrins i.e., 3(or 8)-(1-methoxyethyl)-8(or 3)-(1-hydroxyethyl) deuteroporphyrin IX, (MHD)3, 8-di (1-methoxyethyl)-deuteroporphyrin IX (DMD) and 3(or 8)-(1-methoxyethyl)-8(or 3)-vinyl-deuteroporphyrin IX (MVD) were shown to be the major tumor-photobiological active components of this porphyrin preparation, based on the data obtained from the determinations of photosensitizing ability in a cell-free system, photoinactivation of human cancer cells in vitro and efficacy of photodynamic therapy for transplanted animal tumors of them.