title: Aluminium-phthalocyanine chloride nanoemulsions for anticancer photodynamic therapy: Development and in vitro activity against monolayers and spheroids of human mammary adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Photodynamic therapy (PDT) combines light, molecular oxygen and a photosensitizer to induce oxidative stress in target cells. Certain hydrophobic photosensitizers, such as aluminium-phthalocyanine chloride (AlPc), have significant potential for antitumor PDT applications. However, hydrophobic molecules often require drug-delivery systems, such as nanostructures, to improve their pharmacokinetic properties and to prevent aggregation, which has a quenching effect on the photoemission properties in aqueous media. As a result, this work aims to develop and test the efficacy of an AlPc in the form of a nanoemulsion to enable its use in anticancer PDT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The nanoemulsion was developed using castor oil and Cremophor ELP®, and a monodisperse population of nanodroplets with a hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 25 nm was obtained. While free AlPc failed to show significant activity against human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells in an in vitro PDT assay, the AlPc in the nanoemulsion showed intense photodynamic activity. Photoactivated AlPc exhibited a 50 % cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) of 6.0 nM when applied to MCF-7 cell monolayers and exerted a powerful cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cell spheroids.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Through the use of spontaneous emulsification, a stable AlPc nanoemulsion was developed that exhibits strong in vitro photodynamic activity on cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Ceilandia, University of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. luismuehlmann88@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Luis Alexandre
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Muehlmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. mosarcr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mosar Corrêa
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. jplongo@unb.br.
authors.forename: João Paulo Figueiró
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. mgarcia@unb.br.
authors.forename: Mônica Pereira
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. karapyda@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Karen Rapp
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Py-Daniel
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. abessav@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aline Bessa
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Veloso
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. psouza1974@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Paulo Eduardo Narciso
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. psouza1974@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sebastião William
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil. razevedo@unb.br.
authors.forename: Ricardo Bentes
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Azevedo
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002368:Castor Oil / Q000737:chemistry; D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004655:Emulsions / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D054833:Isoindoles; D061986:MCF-7 Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003102:Colloids; D004655:Emulsions; D007211:Indoles; D054833:Isoindoles; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D002368:Castor Oil; D000535:Aluminum; C013647:phthalocyanine