Photodynamic anti-inflammatory activity of meso‑aryl substituted porphyrin derivative on mammalian macrophages.

• Porphyrin derivative had anti-inflammatory PDT activity. • This activity was exerted at subtoxic concentrations on the macrophages. • Novel drug candidates with immunomodulatory PDT potential can be generated from porphyrin derivatives. Our group focused on a meso‑aryl substituted porphyrin molecule for its photodynamic anti-inflammatory activities on the mammalian macrophages. The porphyrine derivative previously synthesized in this study was synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR. We then examined their immunomodulatory activities based on the changes in the pro-inflammatory cytokine production levels after LPS stimulation in dark and light activated conditions. Our results suggest that porphyrin derivative had anti-inflammatory photodynamic activity in vitro at subtoxic concentrations. Our study aims to pave a way for anti-inflammatory photodynamic therapy application in the inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Most of the studies either focus on photodynamic cytotoxicity of the porphyrin derivatives to suppress the inflammation or porphyrin derivatives' anti-inflammatory activity without the photodynamic activation. Our future studies will focus on the generation and in vitro as well as in vivo characterization of the porphyrin derivatives with anti-inflammatory photodynamic therapy applications. In this way, novel drug candidates that would have lower side effects can be generated for the patients. Porphyrin derivative POR-D had anti-inflammatory PDT activity. It did not alter the proinflammatory cytokine production levels by the activated macrophages in the dark conditions whereas it substantially and significantly decreased the pro-inflammatory cytokine production after its light induced activation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]