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Antitumor immunity induced by the photodynamic action of BAM-SiPc, a silicon (IV) phthalocyanine photosensitizer

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 16, pages 676–678 (2019)Cite this article

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Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising approach to treat cancer.1 It involves the use of three individually nontoxic substances to produce a toxic effect. A photosensitizer, when illuminated with light of an appropriate wavelength, will be activated and convert molecular oxygen into reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can then kill tumor cells. The success of PDT depends on its potency as well as the targeting of the photosensitizer to the tumor site.2 For example, in photoimmunotherapy, the photosensitizer is conjugated to monoclonal antibodies that direct the photosensitizer to tumor cells that express the specific antigen recognized by the antibodies, and the tumor cells are killed upon light irradiation of the tumor site.3 This direct cytotoxicity is useful in treating localized tumor; however, it has limited applicability when metastasis occurs. In this regard, the activation of antitumor immunity appears to be more promising because most cancer patients die, not from localized tumor, but from cancer metastasis and relapse.

In addition to killing tumor cells directly, PDT is also known to possess an immunomodulatory effect.4 Using the unsymmetrically substituted bisamino silicon (IV) phthalocyanine (BAM-SiPc) compound that we previously synthesized5 as a photosensitizer, we showed that PDT could not only eradicate mouse-derived CT26 tumors in tumor-bearing BALB/c mice, but also trigger an antitumor immune response that protects the mice against further rechallenge with the same type of tumor cells. Immunohistochemical staining showed the infiltration of dendritic cells, T cells and B cells into the tumor tissue.6 In short, PDT results in antitumor immunity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region China [Project no. CUHK 14171717].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Ying Zhang & Wing-Ping Fong

  2. Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Dennis K. P. Ng

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  1. Ying Zhang
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Correspondence to Wing-Ping Fong.

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Zhang, Y., Ng, D.K.P. & Fong, WP. Antitumor immunity induced by the photodynamic action of BAM-SiPc, a silicon (IV) phthalocyanine photosensitizer. Cell Mol Immunol 16, 676–678 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-019-0239-8

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