Use of Porphyrins

Disclosed is a method and a pharmaceutical composition for killing mammalian tumor cells by subjecting the cells to light in the presence of a light-activatable tetrapyrrole, in which the improvement comprises treating the cells with a compound which inhibits the enzymatic conversion of protoporphyr...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: DEBRA ANN WITKOWSKI, BLAIK PHILLIP HALLING
Format: Patent
Sprache:eng
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Disclosed is a method and a pharmaceutical composition for killing mammalian tumor cells by subjecting the cells to light in the presence of a light-activatable tetrapyrrole, in which the improvement comprises treating the cells with a compound which inhibits the enzymatic conversion of protoporphyrinogen to protoporphyrin IX by protoporphyrinogen oxidase in the cells thereby causing a buildup of protoporphyrin IX in the cells. Also disclosed is a method for the production of protoporphyrin IX which comprises growing eukaryotic microalgae in the presence of a protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor.