Synthesis and characterization of natural Hypericin compound analogs (for application as photosensitizers in Photodynamic Therapy)

• Grant number: 11/16548-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: February 28, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Anderson Orzari Ribeiro
• Grantee: Gislaine Patricia de Andrade
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a proposed technique for the treatment of degenerative diseases and infections that is based on topical or systemic administration of a photosensitizer that after accumulation in diseased tissue, is exposed to light of appropriate wavelength and generates reactive oxygen species capable of inactivating or lead to cell death.Some photosensitizers are already commercially available as Photofrin ®,Levulan ® Kerastik, Visudyne ® BPDMA, Foscan ® and Fospeg ®, and have proven effective in certain types of cancers such as esophagus, lung, bladder and skin, and presenting results promising for treatment of bacterial infections. However, until now, no hypericin derivative, a naftodianthrone present in plants of the genus Hypericum and considered one of the most potent photosensitizers of natural origin, was approved for use as a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy.The purpose of this project is to synthesize and characterize chemical, photophysical and biologically some of the compound hypericin analogs for possible use as photosensitizers. The compounds to be obtained, adapting to a synthetic route domain of the research group proposing, will be analyzed for their chemical structure, properties of interaction with the light, excitation and emission spectra, quantum yield of generation of reactive species, affinity with different cell lines and phototoxicity, and others.The set of results for each new compound should be possible to predict whether any of the synthesized analogues is promising for use as a photosensitizer drug in this therapy.