Glycosylated zinc(II) phthalocyanine photosensitizer: Synthesis, photophysical properties and in vitro photodynamic activity on breast cancer cell line

Breast cancer is a common type of cancer among women worldwide. Triple negative breast cancer is a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer and accounts for approximately 24% of all identified breast cancer cases. In triple negative breast cancer, the therapeutic approach options are very limited. In this study, 4-[2′,3′,5′,6′-tetrafluoro-4′-(1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-D-glucofuranosyl)benzyloxy]phthalonitrile and its peripherally tetra substituted zinc phthalocyanine derivatives are reported for the first time. Photophysical and photochemical properties of the glycosylated zinc(II) phthalocyanine derivative were investigated for its suitability for use as a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy. The fluorescence (Φ_F: 0.089), singlet oxygen (Φ_d: 0.45) and photodegradation quantum yields (Φ_∆: 6.07×10⁻⁵) of this compound were carried out in N,N-dimethylformamide. The in vitro photodynamic activities of this compound against MDA-MB-231 cells were also studied. Cytotoxicity analysis in this cell lines was performed by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) method. Cytotoxicity test was applied on cell lines of MDA-MB-231 and HUVEC. The IC50 value is determined for glycosylated zinc(II) Pc derivative.