Intracellular localization of the photosensitizers and the magnetic nanoparticles and metabolic activity.

<p>(A) Co-internalization, in PC3 tumor cells, of photosensitizer molecules (mTHPC and TPCS2a) and magnetic nanoparticles. mTHPC localizes in the cytoplasm while TPCS2a is found in vesicular structures. The magnetic nanoparticles are concentrated in late endosomes and lysosomes, and align in the direction of the applied magnetic field, as shown by electron microscopy (inset). (B) Metabolic activity was not modified 2 hours after exposure, regardless of the conditions. The subsequent steps therefore involved viable cells. However, a noteworthy cytotoxic effect was detected the following day, with more than a 80% fall in cellular activity. The error bars represent the standard error of the mean (SEM).