A photodynamic pathway to apoptosis and necrosis induced by dimethyl tetrahydroxyhelianthrone and hypericin in leukaemic cells: possible relevance to photodynamic therapy.
(1/1571)
The mechanism of cell death induction by dimethyl tetrahydroxyhelianthrone (DTHe), a new second-generation photodynamic sensitizer, is analysed in human leukaemic cell lines in comparison with the structurally related hypericin. DTHe has a broad range of light spectrum absorption that enables effective utilization of polychromatic light. Photosensitization of HL-60 cells with low doses of DTHe (0.65 microM DTHe and 7.2 J cm(-2) light energy) induced rapid apoptosis of > or =90% of the cells. At doses > or =2 microM, dying cells assumed morphological necrosis with perinucleolar condensation of chromatin in HL-60 and K-562 cell lines. Although nuclear fragmentation that is characteristic to apoptosis was prevented, DNA digestion to oligonucleosomes proceeded unhindered. Such incomplete apoptosis was more prevalent with the related analogue hypericin throughout most doses of photosensitization. Despite hypericin being a stronger photosensitizer, DTHe exhibited advantageous phototoxic properties to tumour cells, initiating apoptosis at concentrations about threefold lower than hypericin. Photosensitization of the cells induced dissociation of the nuclear envelope, releasing lamins into the cytosol. DTHe also differed from hypericin in effects exerted on the nuclear lamina, causing release of an 86-kDa lamin protein into the cytosol that was unique to DTHe. Within the nucleus, nuclear envelope lamin B underwent covalent polymerization, which did not affect apoptotic nuclear fragmentation at low doses of DTHe. At higher doses, polymerization may have been extensive enough to prevent nuclear collapse. Hut-78, CD4+ cells were resistant to the photodynamically activated apoptotic pathway. Beyond the tolerated levels of photodynamic damage, these cells died exclusively via necrosis. Hut-78 cells overexpress Bcl-X(L) as well as a truncated Bcl-X(L)tr isoform that could contribute to the observed resistance to apoptosis. (+info)
Improvement of systemic 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy in vivo using light fractionation with a 75-minute interval.
(2/1571)
We have studied different single and fractionated illumination schemes after systemic administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) to Improve the response of nodular tumors to ALA-mediated photodynamic therapy. Tumors transplanted on the thigh of female WAG/Rij rats were transdermally illuminated with red light (633 nm) after systemic ALA administration (200 mg/kg). The effectiveness of each treatment scheme was determined from the tumor volume doubling time. A single illumination (100 J/cm2 at 100 mW/cm2, 2.5 h after ALA administration) yielded a doubling time of 6.6+/-1.2 days. This was significantly different from the untreated control (doubling time, 1.7+/-0.1 days). The only treatment scheme that yielded a significant improvement compared to all other schemes studied was illumination at both 1 and 2.5 h after ALA administration (both 100 J/cm2 at 100 mW/cm2) and resulted in a tumor volume doubling time of 18.9+/-2.9 days. A possible mechanism to explain this phenomenon is that the protoporphyrin IX formed after administration of ALA is photodegraded by the first illumination. In the 75-min interval, new porphyrin is formed enhancing the effect of the second illumination. (+info)
High efficiency of benzoporphyrin derivative in the photodynamic therapy of pigmented malignant melanoma.
(3/1571)
Benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid ring A (verteporfin, BPD-MA) when intravenously injected (5.5 micromol kg(-1)) to C57/BL6 mice bearing a subcutaneously transplanted B1 melanoma gave a maximal accumulation in the tumour within 1-3 h with recoveries of 1.84-1.96 micromol kg(-1). Irradiation of BPD-MA-loaded melanoma with 690-nm light from a dye laser at 3 h and 9 h post injection induced tumour necrosis and delay of tumour growth of 28 and 14 days respectively. The response of the tumour to BPD-MA photosensitization was enhanced by pretreatment with 1064-nm light from a pulse-operated Nd:YAG laser, which caused a selective breakdown of melanosomes. (+info)
Timing of illumination is essential for effective and safe photodynamic therapy: a study in the normal rat oesophagus.
(4/1571)
5-Aminolaevulinic acid (ALA)-induced, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an experimental treatment modality for (pre)malignant oesophageal lesions. This study aimed to optimize the time of illumination after ALA administration. Six groups of eight rats received 200 mg kg(-1) ALA orally, eight rats served as controls. Illumination was performed at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 or 12 h after ALA administration with a 1-cm cylindrical diffuser placed in a balloon catheter (laser parameters: 633 nm, 25 J radiant energy, power output 100 mW). During illumination, fluorescence measurements and light dosimetry were performed. Animals were sacrificed at 48 h (n = 4) or 28 days (n = 4) after PDT. At day 28, an oesophagogram was performed. Largest PpIX fluorescence was found at 3 h after ALA administration. In vivo fluence rate was three times higher than the calculated incident fluence rate. At 48 h after PDT, major epithelial damage was found in all animals illuminated at 2 h, whereas less epithelial damage was found at 3-6 h and none at 1 and 12 h. In animals illuminated at 4, 6 and 12 h, but not at 2 h, oesophagograms showed severe dilatations and histology showed loss of Schwann cells. These results demonstrate that the choice of time interval between ALA administration and illumination is critical for achieving epithelial damage without oesophageal functional impairment. A short interval of 2-3 h seems to be most appropriate. (+info)
A case of long-term survival with stage IV small cell lung cancer and early-stage central-type squamous cell lung cancer treated by photodynamic therapy.
(5/1571)
The present report is on a 67-year-old man with stage IV small cell lung cancer and early-stage centrally located squamous cell cancer of the lung. He was diagnosed as small cell lung cancer with multiple metastasis to the ipsilateral lung and was found to have a central-type early-stage squamous cell cancer by bronchoscope. After obtaining a complete response to the small cell lung cancer with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy was applied to the squamous cell carcinoma, resulting in complete disappearance of the tumor. Recurrence of small cell cancer occurred at the ipsilateral lung and this patient died of small cell cancer 8 years after initiation of treatment. Post mortem examination confirmed complete disappearance of squamous cell cancer treated by photodynamic therapy. This is a rare case of long-term survival with stage IV small cell lung cancer and early-stage central-type squamous cell lung cancer successfully treated by photodynamic therapy. (+info)
Ultrastructural changes in PAM cells after photodynamic treatment with delta-aminolevulinic acid-induced porphyrins or photosan.
(6/1571)
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is the combination of a photosensitizing drug (Ps) with light in the presence of oxygen leading to the generation of reactive molecular species and destruction of cancer cells. In this study we compared PDT with two Ps, the hematoporphyrin derivative Photosan (Ph) and delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced endogenous protoporphyrin IX, with respect to mitochondrial function and ultrastructural alterations. The effects of PDT were investigated in PAM 212 cells after different Ps incubation times, light doses, and post-treatment periods. Both Ps induced a light dose-dependent impairment of the mitochondrial function with the dose-response curve being steep for ALA and flat for Ph. The prolongation of the incubation time from 4 to 20 h resulted in an increased reduction of mitochondrial activity after ALA PDT but not after Ph PDT. Treatment with an irradiation dose that decreased mitochondrial activity by 50% (IC50) led to early and profound changes of mitochondrial morphology in ALA photosensitized cells, whereas photosensitization with Ph resulted in more pronounced alterations of lysosomes. We conclude that at bioequivalent sublethal PDT exposures of PAM 212 cells, ALA-induced damage is primarily restricted to mitochondria, whereas Ph-induced cytotoxicity is mediated by damage of the lysosomal system. (+info)
The activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways protects HeLa cells from apoptosis following photodynamic therapy with hypericin.
(7/1571)
In this study, we elucidate signaling pathways induced by photodynamic therapy (PDT) with hypericin. We show that PDT rapidly activates JNK1 while irreversibly inhibiting ERK2 in several cancer cell lines. In HeLa cells, sustained PDT-induced JNK1 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activations overlap the activation of a DEVD-directed caspase activity, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, and the onset of apoptosis. The caspase inhibitors benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (zVAD-fmk) and benzyloxycarbonyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone (zDEVD-fmk) protect cells against apoptosis and inhibit DEVD-specific caspase activity and PARP cleavage without affecting JNK1 and p38 MAPK activations. Conversely, stable overexpression of CrmA, the serpin-like inhibitor of caspase-1 and caspase-8, has no effect on PDT-induced PARP cleavage, apoptosis, or JNK1/p38 activations. Cell transfection with the dominant negative inhibitors of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway, SEK-AL and TAM-67, or pretreatment with the p38 MAPK inhibitor PD169316 enhances PDT-induced apoptosis. A similar increase in PDT-induced apoptosis was observed by expression of the dual specificity phosphatase MKP-1. The simultaneous inhibition of both stress kinases by pretreating cells with PD169316 after transfection with either TAM-67 or SEK-AL produces a more pronounced sensitizing effect. Cell pretreatment with the p38 inhibitor PD169316 causes faster kinetics of DEVD-caspase activation and PARP cleavage and strongly oversensitizes the cells to apoptosis following PDT. These observations indicate that the JNK1 and p38 MAPK pathways play an important role in cellular resistance against PDT-induced apoptosis with hypericin. (+info)
Involvement of retinoblastoma (Rb) and E2F transcription factors during photodynamic therapy of human epidermoid carcinoma cells A431.
(8/1571)
Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a promising new therapeutic modality for the management of a variety of solid malignancies and many non-malignant diseases, is a bimodal therapy using a porphyrin based photosensitizing chemical and visible light. The proper understanding of the mechanism of PDT-mediated cancer cell-kill may result in improving the efficacy of this treatment modality. Earlier we have shown (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA; 95: 6977-6982, 1998) that silicon phthalocyanine (Pc4)-PDT results in an induction of the cyclin kinase inhibitor WAF1/CIP1/p21 which, by inhibiting cyclins (E and D1) and cyclin dependent kinases (cdk2 and cdk6), results in a G0/G1-phase arrest followed by apoptosis in human epidermoid carcinoma cells A431. We have also demonstrated the generation of nitric oxide during PDT-mediated apoptosis (Cancer Res.; 58: 1785-1788, 1998). Retinoblastoma (pRb) and E2F family transcription factors are important proteins, which regulate the G1-->S transition in the cell cycle. Here, we provide evidence for the involvement of pRb-E2F/DP machinery as an important contributor of PDT-mediated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Western blot analysis demonstrated a decrease in the hyper-phosphorylated form of pRb at 3, 6 and 12 h post-PDT with a relative increase in hypo-phosphorylated pRb. Western blot analysis also revealed that PDT-caused decrease in phosphorylation of pRb occurs at serine-780. The ELISA data demonstrated a time dependent accumulation of hypo-phosphorylated pRb by PDT. This response was accompanied with down-regulation in the protein expression of all five E2F (1-5) family transcription factors, and their heterodimeric partners DP1 and DP2. These results suggest that Pc4-PDT of A431 cells results in a down regulation of hyper-phosphorylated pRb protein with a relative increase in hypo-phosphorylated pRb that, in turn, compromises with the availability of free E2F. We suggest that these events result in a stoppage of the cell cycle progression at G1-->S transition thereby leading to a G0/G1 phase arrest and a subsequent apoptotic cell death. These data provide an evidence for the involvement of pRb-E2F/DP machinery in PDT-mediated cell cycle arrest leading to apoptosis. (+info)