Investigation of self assembled metallosurfactant based nano colloids for photodynamic therapy

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an innovative technique for cancer and bacterial infection treatment with minimal side effects, based on the use of a photosensitizer, oxygen, and light. Photosensitizers (PSs) have several limitations, that may limit their clinical use, like poor solubilization, self-aggregation, and lack of specific targeting, which can be addressed with the use of nanomaterials. With an objective to improve the PS delivery and photophysical properties for effective PDT, a new class of nano-colloids called metallocatanionic vesicles (MCVs) have been fabricated. These MCVs were fabricated by utilizing Fe and Cu metal-based single and double-chain cationic metallosurfactants (i.e. FeCPC I, CuCPC I, FeCPC II, and CuCPC II) in combination with an anionic surfactant (Na Ol or AOT). These MCVs showed low critical aggregation concentration with excellent stability and also their size, surface charge, and shape can also be controlled by changing metallosurfactant/anionic surfactant ratio. Singlet oxygen (1O2) quantification study demonstrated that there was an upsurge in PS 1O2 generation ability when PS was loaded into MCVs. These biocompatible MCVs were capable of enhancement of PS 1O2 generation ability irrespective of the charge present on the PS (both cationic (Methylene Blue) and anionic (Rose Bengal and Eosin Yellow)). Overall, this research further concluded that the presence of metal ion in MCVs help in the enhancement of PS 1O2 generation ability and also enhanced the PDT efficacy against cancer cells (MCF-7 and U-251 cells) and bacteria (S. newlineaureus and E. coli). The presence of positive and negative charges on these MCVs increases the future research opportunities for these formulations in different photosensitizer delivery systems and further use in photomedicine. newline newline