In vitro evaluation of photodynamic activity of tetrapyridoporphyrazine derivatives for treatment of solid tumours.

Charles University in Prague Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradci Králové Department of Biochemical Sciences Candidate: Bc. Adéla Jedličková Supervisor: Mgr. Miloslav Macháček Title of diploma thesis: In vitro evaluation of photodynamic activity of tetrapyridoporphyrazine derivatives for treatment of solid tumors Nowadays, cancerous diseases belongs among the main causes of death, incidence continues to rise. Therefore research in the area of tumor treatment significantly focuses on the development of new potential anticancer drugs and therapeutical approaches. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) belongs to clinically approved therapeutic methods for the treatment of the malignant and nonmalignant diseases. PDT is composed of three main components - photosensitiser (PS), light and oxygen, all of them are non-toxic on their own. However, their interaction leads to a generation of highly reactive molecules. This method is based on absorption of light with appropriate wavelenght by PS and subsequent energy transfer from photon to surrounding molecules, especially to oxygen. This transfer leads to a generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) of which singlet oxygen plays a main role. ROS subsequently causes a damage of surrounding cell structures, which leads to irreversible damage of cell functions and..