Photosensitizing Activity of Steroid Derivatives of Pyropheophorbide in the Oxidation of Tryptophan in the Aqueous Phase

Abstract

Solubilization with pluronic F-127 gave water-soluble forms of hydrophobic photosensitizers—steroid derivatives of pyropheophorbide a. Solubilization was performed by evaporating the chloroform co-solutions of photosensitizer and pluronic (triple block copolymer of ethylene and propylene oxide) and subsequently dissolving the resulting dry residue in water. The concentration ratios of modified pyropheophorbide–pluronic at which the photosensitizer completely passed into the aqueous phase were determined. Among the starting hydrophobic photosensitizers, pyropheophorbide–dihydrotestosterone possessed the highest activity in photosensitized oxidation of anthracene with singlet oxygen in chloroform, while after solubilization, pyropheophorbide–testosterone was most active in the test (for photodynamic therapy) oxidation of tryptophan in aqueous solutions.