The porphyrins are an important class of naturally occurring macrocyclic compounds found in biological systems that play a very significant role in the metabolism of living organisms.  They have a universal biological distribution and were involved in the oldest metabolic phenomena on earth. Some of the best examples are the iron-containing porphyrins found as heme and the magnesium-containing reduced porphyrin found in chlorophyll. Without porphyrins, aerobic life on planet earth would be impossible and therefore the knowledge of these systems and their excited states are essential in understanding a wide variety of biological processes. The progress of porphyrin polymers and their derivatives provide the potential for diverse applications in life and industry. Most known are the formulation of artificial blood, and the development of photocatalysts for solar energy conversion, development of electronic conductors and semiconductors, energy storage and photodynamic therapy. In this work, we attempt the synthesis of water-soluble free-base (Tetra-p-trimethyl-ammonium-phenyl-porphyrin-tetraiodide) and metallo (Tetra-(p-trimethyl-ammonium-phenyl) zinc(II)-porphyrin- tetraiodide) porphyrins which are to be used to test phototoxic effects in vitro using human cancer cells. The full potential of these applications are yet to be realized. This work includes various analytical techniques UV-Vis absorption, Emission Spectroscopy, GC-MS, LC-MS, NMR and element analysis for the characterization of reactions products and intermediates.

Porphyrins - A gift of nature to eradicate cancer? (Photodynamic therapy)

256th National Meeting (2018)

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