Abstract
A new experimental therapy for squamous carcinoma was tested by sensitizing human tumor cells with light-sensitive anticancer drugs followed by laser illumination at visible or infrared wavelengths. The anthrapyrazole DUP-941 and the isoquinoline derivative DUP-840 were compared with the dianthraquinone hypericin. P3 human squamous carcinoma cells were incubated for 2 h with the drugs at escalating doses ranging from 5 to 100 μg/ml, then exposed to visible green 532-nm or infrared 1064-nm light at 300 J output from a KTP/Nd:YAG laser. Tumor cell toxicity measured by in vitro MTT viability assays was minimal after DUP-840 uptake but was slightly enhanced by infrared laser emissions. By contrast, the strong tumoricidal effects seen after DUP-941 uptake were amplified over 10-fold by 532-nm light and up to 2- fold by 1064-nm light. Hypericin-sensitized tumor cells were killed after 532 nm irradiation even at the lowest drag dose but were not affected by 1064-nm illumination. The results suggest that laser chemotherapy with drugs sensitive to photothermal energy could become a useful new treatment modality for cancer.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 15-21 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine and Surgery |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1997 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Biomedical Engineering