Date of Award

4-23-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Chemistry

First Reader

Dr. Joseph Bradshaw

Second Reader

Dr. Nathan Reyna

Third Reader

Dr. Rebecca Jones

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy is a fairly new technique used in cancer treatment involving the use of a photosensitizer and light exposure to kill malignant cells. In this research, the use of ZnTPP-4AB as a photosensitizer and red light as a source of radiant light energy was explored in terms of cytotoxicity in the A549 lung cancer cell line. ZnTPP-4AB was synthesized by replacing the carbonyl functional groups on the ZnTPPC porphyrin with 4-amino-1-butanol. Following synthesis, the new porphyrin was purified through the use of Sephadex LH-20 and G-50 in column chromatography in order to remove impurities. To confirm the identity and structure of the product, ZnTPP-4AB was analyzed through nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopies. Purity of the final compound was determined using HPLC. Lastly, the efficacy of ZnTPP-4AB as a photosensitizer was examined by analyzing its cytotoxicity when paired with red light using MTT assay on the A549 lung cancer cell line. An additional experiment was also conducted in which the A549 cells were put into a hypoxic environment (mimicking a tumor) prior to treatment with the porphyrin, and these were compared with the first MTT assay.

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