Photosensitized production of singlet oxygen by merocyanine 540 bound to liposomes.

The production of singlet oxygen by merocyanine 540 was studied in dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine liposomes using two singlet oxygen probes: 9,10-anthracenedipropionic acid (water soluble) and 9,10-dimethylanthracene (liposoluble). Upper and lower limits of singlet oxygen quantum yield for bound merocyanine 540 were determined to be 0.055 and 0.015 respectively. The diffusion characteristics of singlet oxygen were examined using the isotropic enhancement effect of D2O and the inhibitory effect of sodium azide. It was shown that 1O2 spent more than 87% of its lifetime in a vesicle environment. When the singlet-reacting substrate and the dye were both located in the bilayer, approximately 40% of the singlet oxygen remained in the liposomes where it was originally generated.