Physicochemical and Biological Properties of a Nanostructured IR-Photosensitizer Based on Dipropoxybacteriopurpurinimide

The production technology for nanoparticles based on a copolymer of lactic and glycolic acids (PLGA) containing dipropoxybacteriopurpurinimide (DPBPI) and intended for photodynamic therapy of malignant neoplasms of various etiology is optimized. An approach to reducing the average diameter of the resulting nanoparticles is proposed. The obtained DPBPI-PLGA nanoparticles had average diameter 142.3 ± 2.7 nm; ξ-potential 17.1 ± 3.42 mV; polydispersity index 0.095; and total DPBPI content in DPBPI-PLGA particles 17.4 mg/g. DPBPI-PLGA nanoparticles were produced for biological tests. The intracellular distribution of DPBPI in DPBPI-PLGA nanoparticles was studied in in vitro experiments on A549 cells. DPBPI accumulation kinetics in and elimination kinetics from the cells were also studied. DPBPI-PLGA showed high photoinduced cytotoxicity in in vitro experiments. DPBPI-PLGA nanoparticles exhibited antitumor activity in in vivo experiments in an S37 murine soft tissue sarcoma model.