Photodynamic Effects of Radachlorin® on Cervical Cancer Cells

Abstract

PURPOSE: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a novel treatment modality, which produces local tissue necrosis with laser light following the prior administration of a photosensitizing agent. Radachlorin has recently been shown to be a promising PDT sensitizer. In order to elucidate the antitumor effects of PDT using Radachlorin on cervical cancer, growth inhibition studies on a HPV-associated tumor cell line, TC-1 cells in vitro and animals with an established TC-1 tumor in vivo were determined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TC-1 tumor cells were exposed to various concentrations of Radachlorin and PDT, with irradiation of 12.5 or 25 J/cm(2) at an irradiance of 20 mW/cm(2) using a Won-PDT D662 laser at 662 nm in vitro. C57BL/6 mice with TC-1 tumor were injected with Radachlorin via different routes and treated with PDT in vivo. A growth suppression study was then used to evaluate the effects at various time points after PDT. RESULTS: The results showed that irradiation of TC-1 tumor cells in the presence of Radachlorin induced significant cell growth inhibition. Animals with established TC-1 tumors exhibited significantly smaller tumor sizes over time when treated with Radachlorin and irradiation. CONCLUSION: PDT after the application of Radachlorin appears to be effective against TC-1 tumors both in vitro and in vivo.