Photodynamic therapy (
PDT) using photosensitized reaction to produce cytotoxicity was used for
cancer therapy in recent years. To study the effectiveness of
PDT mediated by a novel
photosensitizer (PS),
DTPP 5-(4'-(2″-dicarboxymethylamino)acetamidophenyl)-10, 15, 20-triphenylporphyrin, on
lung cancer A549 cell lines in vitro,
DTPP was employed in different concentrations (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, and 30 μg/ml) and combined with 650 nm
laser of different power densities (0.6, 1.2, 2.4, 4.8, 7.2, and 9.6 J/cm(2)) that resulted in obvious inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis. Results showed that cell survival rates have a dependent relationship with time and PS concentrations and no significant cytotoxicity was induced by
DTPP itself. Apoptosis and cell cycle S arrest were observed; cytoskeleton morphologic observation revealed collapse, sparkling, and shrunken shapes. Apoptosis-related
protein caspase-3 overexpression was detected while
caspase-9, bcl-2, and cytoskeleton
protein beta-catenin were in low levels of expression than the control. Cleavage of
beta-catenin by
caspase-3 or other
proteases from the lysosome might be the main reason for the cytoskeleton collapse as
beta-tubulin and actin were at a stable level 12 h after
PDT. This paper gives a better understanding of the effectiveness of
DTPP-mediated
PDT in
lung cancer A549 cells both with regard to dosimetry and apoptosis changes.