Water-soluble aluminium phthalocyanine–polymer conjugates for PDT: photodynamic activities and pharmacokinetics in tumour-bearing mice

The potential use of unsubstituted aluminium phthalocyanine (AlClPc) as a sensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer has not been fully exploited in spite of its higher efficiency as compared to the sulphonated derivatives. This is largely due to the strong hydrophobic character of AlClPc which renders the material difficult to formulate for in vivo administration. We prepared two water-soluble derivatives of AlClPc by axial coordination of polyethyleneglycol (PEG, MW 2000) or polyvinylalcohol (PVA, MW 13 000–23 000) to the central aluminium ion. Their photodynamic activities were evaluated in vitro against the EMT-6 mouse mammary tumour cells and in vivo against the EMT-6 and the colon carcinoma Colo-26 tumours implanted intradermally in Balb/c mice. Pharmacokinetics were studied in the EMT-6 tumour-bearing mice. After 1 h incubation, the light dose required to kill 90% of cells (LD90) was at least three times less for AlClPc (Cremophor emulsion) as compared to AlPc–PEG and AlPc–PVA, while after 24 h incubation all three preparations were highly phototoxic. All three dye preparations induced complete EMT-6 tumour regression in 75–100% of animals at a low drug dose (0.25 μmol kg–1) following PDT (400 J cm–2, 650–700 nm) at 24 h pi. Complete tumour regression in the Colo-26 tumour model was obtained in 30% of mice at a dose of 2 μmol kg–1. In the non-cured animals, AlPc–PVA induced the most significant tumour growth delay. This dye showed a prolonged plasma half-life (6.8 h) as compared to AlClPc (2.6 h) and AlPc–PEG (23 min), lower retention by liver and spleen and higher tumour-to-skin and tumour-to-muscle ratios. Our data demonstrate that addition of hydrophilic axial ligands to AlPc, while modifying in vitro and in vivo kinetics, does not reduce the PDT efficiency of the parent molecule. Moreover, in the case of the polyvinylalcohol derivative, axial coordination confers advantageous pharmacokinetics to AlPc, which makes this photosensitizer a valuable, water soluble candidate drug for clinical PDT of cancer.