Abstract

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) are a newly discovered group of eutectics which has shown promise as a solvent in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). The purpose of this study was to investigate preparations of an anionic porphyrin, meso-tetra-(4-carboxyphenyl)-porphine (TCPP), solubilised in NADES, with regard to their physicochemical and antibacterial properties. The NADES CS (pH ∼ 0), ChX (pH ∼ 4) and MFG (pH ∼ 1) solubilised TCPP with absorption maximum ∼443 nm and emission maximum ∼678 nm, indicating formation of the TCPP dication. Dilution of TCPP-NADES > 1:1 (water) reduced the physical stability of the preparations. The photostability half-lives of TCPP in methanol, MFG, and CS were ∼9 h, 6.9 h and 3.2 h, respectively. Nanomolar concentrations of TCPP solubilised in diluted MFG combined with ⩽27 J/cm2 blue light increased Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial phototoxicity, >99.98% and 96% bacterial reduction, respectively, compared to TCPP in PBS/ethanol under equivalent treatment conditions. TCPP solubilised in diluted CS was toxic to bacteria both in the absence (36–72% reduction) and presence of light. TCPP in CS, and in the CS component citric acid, induced a TCPP-concentration dependent increase in Gram-negative phototoxicity relative to controls, which was most pronounced for TCPP-CS. The mechanism behind the increased toxicity is unknown.

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Reference
Physicochemical characterisation and antimicrobial phototoxicity of an anionic porphyrin in natural deep eutectic solvents
Wikene KO, Rukke HV, Bruzell E, Tønnesen HH.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, August 2016; 105: 75–84.
doi:10.1016/j.ejpb.2016.06.001