Pulsed diode laser-based monitor for singlet molecular oxygen.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising cancer treatment. PDT uses the affinity of photosensitizers to be selectively retained in malignant tumors. When tumors, pretreated with the photosensitizer, are irradiated with visible light, a photochemical reaction occurs and tumor cells are destroyed. Oxygen molecules in the metastable singlet delta state O2(1Delta) are believed to be the species that destroys cancerous cells during PDT. Monitoring singlet oxygen produced by PDT may lead to more precise and effective PDT treatments. Our approach uses a pulsed diode laser-based monitor with optical fibers and a fast data acquisition system to monitor singlet oxygen during PDT. We present results of in vitro singlet oxygen detection in solutions and in a rat prostate cancer cell line as well as PDT mechanism modeling.

Pulsed diode laser-based singlet oxygen monitor for photodynamic therapy: in vivo studies of tumor-laden rats.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising cancer treatment that involves optical excitation of photosensitizers that promote oxygen molecules to the metastable O(2)(a(1)Delta) state (singlet oxygen). This species is believed to be responsible for the destruction of cancerous cells during PDT. We describe a fiber optic-coupled, pulsed diode laser-based diagnostic for singlet oxygen. We use both temporal and spectral filtering to enhance the detection of the weak O(2)(a-->X) emission near 1.27 microm. We present data that demonstrate real-time singlet oxygen production in tumor-laden rats with chlorin e6 and 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced protoporphyrin photosensitizers. We also observe a positive correlation between post-PDT treatment regression of the tumors and the relative amount of singlet oxygen measured. These results are promising for the development of the sensor as a real-time dosimeter for PDT.