Singlet oxygen generation using a porous monolithic polymer supported photosensitizer: potential application to the photodynamic destruction of melanoma cells.

Photogeneration of singlet oxygen (1O2) by rose bengal is improved through the use of a porous monolithic polymer (PMP) as a support, as compared to a classic gel-type resin matrix. This type of monolithic polymeric matrix can be made at a multigram scale in quantitative yields enabling the preparation of large amounts of supported photosensitizer at low cost. The singlet oxygen induced oxidation of 9,10-diphenylanthracene has been used as a benchmark reaction, and a comparative study using rose bengal in solution, entrapped within gel-type derived polymer and entrapped within a porous monolithic polymer (PMP) has been performed. The enhanced photoreactivity of the PMP-rose bengal conjugates has been utilised for the successful photodynamic therapy (PDT) of melanoma cells.