Iron oxide nanoparticles functionalized with novel hydrophobic and hydrophilic porphyrins as potential agents for photodynamic therapy.

The preparation of novel porphyrin derivatives and their immobilization onto iron oxide nanoparticles to build up suitable nanotools for potential use in photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been explored. To achieve this purpose, a zinc porphyrin derivative, ZnPR-COOH, has been synthesized, characterized at the molecular level and immobilized onto previously synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles covered with oleylamine. The novel nanosystem (ZnPR-IONP) has been thoroughly characterized by a variety of techniques such as UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoloectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In order to probe the capability of the photosensitizer for PDT, the singlet oxygen production of both ZnPR-IONP and the free ligand ZnPR-COOH have been quantified by measuring the decay in absorption of the anthracene derivative 9,10-anthracenedipropionic acid (ADPA), showing an important increase on singlet oxygen production when the porphyrin is incorporated onto the IONP (ZnPR-IONP). On the other hand, the porphyrin derivative PR-TRIS3OH, incorporating several polar groups (TRIS), was synthesized and immobilized with the intention of obtaining water soluble nanosystems (PR-TRIS-IONP). When the singlet oxygen production ability was evaluated, the values obtained were similar to ZnPR-COOH/ZnPR-IONP, again much higher in the case of the nanoparticles PR-TRIS-IONP, with more than a twofold increase. The efficient singlet oxygen production of PR-TRIS-IONP together with their water solubility, points to the great promise that these new nanotools represent for PDT.