New photodynamic cancer therapy studied

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., June 18 (UPI) -- Chemists at the University of California-Santa Cruz say they've developed novel compounds that show promise for photodynamic cancer therapy.

The compounds, called dye-sensitized ruthenium nitrosyls, are absorbed by cancer cells and respond to specific wavelengths of light by releasing nitric oxide, which triggers the cancer cells' death, the researchers said.

"For cancer treatment, you want localized delivery of a very high concentration of nitric oxide," said Professor Pradip Mascharak. "We've designed these molecules to do just that."

Mascharak said one advantage of nitric oxide for cancer treatment is that it induces an orderly type of cell death known as apoptosis, which does produce the inflammation, pain and swelling normally associated with damage to cells and tissues in the body.

Mascharak and graduate student Michael Rose recently reported their research in the journal Inorganic Chemistry. In another paper published last year in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, they reported the compounds were effective against breast cancer cells in laboratory experiments.

"We know it works in cancer cells, so now we're very confident about taking it to the next level," Mascharak said. "The idea for cancer therapy would be to embed the compounds in a matrix that you can place in the treatment site, then shine light on it to produce a high concentration of nitric oxide."