Preliminary Toxicity Evaluation of a Porphyrin Photosensitizer in an Alternative Preclinical Model.
Miryam Chiara MalacarneMaristella MastoreMarzia Bruna GariboldiMaurizio Francesco BrivioEnrico CarusoPublished in: International journal of molecular sciences (2023)
In photodynamic therapy (PDT), a photosensitizer (PS) excited with a specific wavelength, and in the presence of oxygen, gives rise to photochemical reactions that lead to cell damage. Over the past few years, larval stages of the G. mellonella moth have proven to be an excellent alternative animal model for in vivo toxicity testing of novel compounds and virulence testing. In this article, we report a series of preliminary studies on G. mellonella larvae to evaluate the photoinduced stress response by a porphyrin (PS) (TPPOH). The tests performed evaluated PS toxicity on larvae and cytotoxicity on hemocytes, both in dark conditions and following PDT. Cellular uptake was also evaluated by fluorescence and flow cytometry. The results obtained demonstrate how the administration of PS and subsequent irradiation of larvae affects not only larvae survival rate, but also immune system cells. It was also possible to verify PS's uptake and uptake kinetics in hemocytes, observing a maximum peak at 8 h. Given the results obtained in these preliminary tests, G. mellonella appears to be a promising model for preclinical PS tests.
Keyphrases
- photodynamic therapy
- aedes aegypti
- fluorescence imaging
- drosophila melanogaster
- oxidative stress
- flow cytometry
- cell therapy
- induced apoptosis
- escherichia coli
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- staphylococcus aureus
- zika virus
- energy transfer
- stem cells
- single cell
- cell proliferation
- cystic fibrosis
- radiation therapy
- mesenchymal stem cells
- signaling pathway