New peripherally and non-peripherally tetra-substituted water soluble zinc phthalocyanines: Synthesis, photophysics and photochemistry

The synthesis and photochemical properties of peripherally and non-peripherally 1,3-bis[3-(dimethylamino)phenoxy]prop-2-oxy tetra-substituted zinc phthalocyanines (2a and 3a) and their quaternized derivatives (2b and 3b) were reported in this study. Photochemical properties of quaternized ionic zinc (II) phthalocyanines (2b and 3b) were investigated in both dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and aqueous solutions, while non ionic derivatives were only studied in DMSO. The quaternized compounds exhibit excellent solubility in water, making them potential photosensitizers for use in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer. This study also showed that the water-soluble quaternized Zn(II) phthalocyanines strongly bind to blood plasma proteins such as bovine serum albumin (BSA). On the other hand, the interactions of the novel water soluble phthalocyaines with DNA were also examined.