THE PHOTOCHEMICAL YIELD OF SINGLET OXYGEN FROM PORPHYRINS IN DIFFERENT STATES OF AGGREGATION

Abstract— Aqueous solutions of hematoporphyrin and hematoporphyrin derivatives were exposed to light. When present in such solutions tryptophan is degraded by a singlet oxygen mechanism. This is true for excitation at 396 nm, where porphyrin monomers have their absorption maximum, as well as for excitation at 360 nm, where porphyrin aggregates seem to absorb strongly. The quantum yield of singlet oxygen production is similar within 25% for excitation at 396 and 360 nm while the fluorescence quantum yield is more than a factor 2 lower for excitation at 360 nm than for excitation at 396 nm. Photoexcitation of the clinically used hematopotophyrin derivatives photofrin I and photofrin II produces singlet oxygen with significantly smaller yields than photoexcitation of hematoporphyrin. Thus, the aggregates present in solutions of photofrin I and photofrin II are of a different nature than those present in aqueous solutions of hematoporphyrin.