(190bj) Biophysical, Cytotoxicity and Cellular Uptake Studies of Novel Amphiphilic Fluorophores for Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging as a highly effective, non-invasive therapeutic approach in the struggle against cancer and other diseases. It is based on a photodynamic reaction involving a fluorophore combined with the irradiation by a beam light at a visible or near infrared (NIR) wavelength to destroy the target cells. Fluorophore probes are also used as a tool in early-detection and imaging of cancer cells, and therefore, it is essential that, these fluorophores attach themselves to the surface of the malignant cells to aid in the diagnosis of the disease. In this work we synthesized novel coumarin based amphiphilic fluorophores that have the ability to bind and traverse the phospholipid membrane found in mammalian cells. Our preliminary in vitro and analytical characterization studies suggest successful binding on the cell surface due to electrostatic interaction and internalization by virtue of the hydrophobicity of the fluorophores. These results have been compared with internalization behavior of flavin-mono-nucleotide (FMN), a well know fluorophore and commonly found in metabolic cycles in living organisms.