title: Laser photosensitization of cells by hypericin.
abstract: Administering a light dose of 90 J/cm2 at 599 nm during incubation with hypericin to a highly differentiated normal epithelial cell line (FRTL-5), derived from Fisher rat thyroid, and to a neoplastic cell line (MPTK-6), derived from the lung metastases of a thyroid carcinoma induced in Fisher rats, produces cell kill at drug doses 1000 times lower than those necessary to cause the same mortality in the dark. The photocytocidal activity of this polycyclic quinone drug on neoplastic cells is superior to that of antitumor anthraquinone drugs, such as daunomycin and mitoxanthrone, and to the photosensitized antiviral activity previously reported for hypericin.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale-C.N.R., Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andreoni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colasanti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Colasanti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mastrocinque
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riccio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roberti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000873:Anthracenes; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D002460:Cell Line; D007834:Lasers; D010569:Perylene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D000873:Anthracenes; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D010569:Perylene; C004965:hypericin