Photophysical and Photosensitizing Properties of Photofrin II

Photofrin II is a newly developed Hematoporphyrin Derivative (Oncology Research & Development), which is widely used in the. phototherapy of tumors owing to its optimal tumor-localizing properties and ability to photosensitize the killing of the tumor cells upon visible light-irradiation1. As known, the mechanism and efficiency of porphyrin photosensitization is dependent on several parameters, including the chemical structure of the porphyrin, its aggregation state and the nature of the micro environment2–5. Therefore, we decided to perform a detailed investigation on the photo-physical and photosensitizing properties of Photofrin II, using experimental conditions which mimic specific situations occurring in vivo.