Destruction of rat mammary tumor and normal tissue microcirculation by hematoporphyrin derivative photoradiation observed in vivo in sandwich observation chambers.

The effect of hematoporphyrin derivative photoradiation on tumor and normal tissue microcirculation was studied microscopically in vivo on rats with mammary carcinomas transplanted into subcutis in transparent observation chambers. One day after i.p. injection of hematoporphyrin derivative (15 mg/kg), chambers were exposed to red light (632 +/- 2 nm, eight light dose values, 0 to 270 J/cm2). After an initial blanching (ischemia) of the tumor accompanied by apparent vasoconstriction, reperfusion was observed with a slowing down of the tumor circulation, vasodilatation, and eventually a complete stasis, together with diffuse hemorrhages and subsequent necrosis. Besides, in large normal tissue vessels, platelet aggregates were observed, but no hemorrhage. Tumor regrowth occurred unless the tumor circulation and the adjacent normal tissue circulation were both destroyed. Tumor cell viability after treatment was assessed by transplanting the tumor from the chamber into the flank of the same animal. Even after a combined porphyrin and light dose 4 times the lethal dose for all tissues in the chamber, five of five transplanted tumors did regrow. This leads to the conclusion that, in our model system, tumor cell death after photoradiation occurs secondary to destruction of the microcirculation. In order to obtain additional information on normal tissue damage, rat ears were also irradiated. For the same light dose, the biological effect was only slightly larger than that of the normal tissue in the observation chambers, even though the measured ratio of porphyrin concentrations in ears and normal tissue in the chambers (subcutis) was about six.