Nanoparticles based on glycyrrhetinic acid modified porphyrin for photodynamic therapy of cancer

Abstract

Self-assembled small molecules, as a novel form of drug presentation, have splendid capabilities for water stability and cell endocytosis. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is regarded as a promising cancer treatment because it is less invasive and has fewer side effects. In this work, an amphiphilic glycyrrhetinic acid–porphyrin conjugate (TPP–GA) was designed and synthesized, and this could self-assemble into nanoparticles (TPP–GA NPs) in water. The morphology of the TPP–GA NPs was observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and their stability in water was revealed by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The PDT effect of the TPP–GA NPs was confirmed by means of in vitro experiment, after photostability verification. It could be conceived that the application of TPP–GA NPs for PDT is a feasible choice and this work shows progress in the self-assembly of amphiphilic small organic molecules.