Photophysical properties and photodynamic therapy effect of zinc phthalocyanine-spermine-single walled carbon nanotube conjugate on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line

The present study shows improved photodynamic therapy (PDT) effect of zinc mono carboxy phenoxy phthalocyanine (ZnMCPPc (1)) upon conjugation to spermine (via amide bond) as a targeting molecule on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The ZnMCPPc-spermine (2) conjugate was adsorbed onto single walled carbon nanotubes (represented as ZnMCPPc-spermine-SWCNT (3)). There was no change in the fluorescence quantum yield of complex 1 following formation of 2 or 3. Complexes 2 and 3 showed improved photophysical properties; with over 50% increases in triplet and singlet oxygen quantum yields compared to 1. Complexes 1, 2 and 3 were relatively not toxic to MCF-7 cancer cells when incubated with 5–40 μM of each complex for 24 h in the dark. The PDT results showed that at 40 μM complex 1 resulted in only 64% decrease in cell viability, while 2 and 3 improved the PDT effect of 1 to 97% and 95% decrease in cell viability at 40 μM respectively