Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a method of treating cancer cells by use of photosensitizing agents. Porphyrins are light sensitive, organic compounds which absorb light at appropriate wavelengths (630-800 nm) and fluoresce under treatment of radiation. This characteristic of porphyrins allows for the easy detection of tumors and the release of an active form of oxygen, which is suggested to destroy neighboring cancer cells. As part of a larger study on the use of porphyrins in PDT, isomers of meso substituted porphyrins were synthesized using p- anisaldehyde or p-tolualdehyde with p-acetamidoaldehyde. The porphyrins are synthesized by means of refluxing and, when produced are disseminated in a tar mixture. The precipitated porphyrins are collected using vacuum filtration.  The porphyrins are separated into different fractions using column chromatography.  Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Thin Layer Chromatography were used in order to determine which isomer is present and insure that the fractions were sufficiently separated.

Synthesis and purification of meso-substituted porphyrin isomers

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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