Abstract
Introduction: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality in which a light-sensitive substance is used to destroy cancer cells and treat skin diseases. Recently, zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) has gained special attention as an efficient photosensitizer. In this study, we evaluated cytotoxicity, assessed the potential effects on cell migration, and measured oxidative stress induced by PDT using a ZnPc-loaded nanoemulsion (NE) in a skin fibroblast cell line.
Methods: Cytotoxicity was assessed by the MTT assay, the ability of cells to repair tissue by the wound-healing assay, and the level of oxidative stress by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22.
Results: Results showed that the lowest cytotoxicity on fibroblast cells was observed at a drug concentration of 20 μg/mL, a laser dose of 12J/cm2, and an incubation time of 1 hour in the dark. The scratch test confirmed that although cell migration was higher in the control group, the difference at the optimized dose was not statistically significant. At two concentrations of 40 and 60 μg/mL, MDA and TAC levels showed a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) and decrease (P ≤ 0.05), respectively, compared to the control group.
Conclusion: The time-dependent efficacy of NE/ZnPc as a photosensitizer in PDT was revealed in this study. The highest cell viability alongside minimal non-significant changes in oxidative stress indicators (i.e., MDA and TAC) indicates that NE/ZnPc-PDT may have great potential for use in skin therapeutic applications where the preservation of the health of non-target cells, such as fibroblasts, is essential.