Reactivity of singlet oxygen generated by the photosensitization of tetraphenylporphyrin in liposomes

Abstract

A hydrophobic porphyrin derivative, tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP), was used as a sensitizer, and an anionic dye, methyl orange (MO), was employed as a substrate of photooxidation. TPP was incorporated into the hydrophobic environment of phosphatidylcholine (PC) bilayer membranes, liposomes. When oxygen was purged out of the liposome suspension by nitrogen bubbling, the degradation of MO was completely inhibited. A specific superoxide scavenger, superoxide dismutase, had no effect on the MO degradation. The replacement of H2O by D2O resulted in a 10 times enhancement in the photodegradation of MO. These results suggested that singlet oxygen was generated by the TPP photosensitization and worked as the mediator of the photoreaction from TPP. Trisulphonated TPP,α-phenyl-Β,γ, δ-tri(p-sulphonyl)porphyrin (TPPS), is soluble in aqueous solution. The light irradiation to an aqueous solution of TPPS gave rise to the rapid bleaching (decomposition) of the sensitizer itself. On the other hand, TPP in the hydrophobic environment of liposomes was stable during light irradiation and worked as a sensitizer for the continuous photoreaction. Maximum reactivity was observed at the PC/TPP mole ratio of 50. When TPP molecules were incorporated into liposomes at larger concentrations (PC/TPP<50), a part of the excitation energy of the sensitizer molecules was nonradiatively converted into the lattice energy by the resonance between the closely located TPP molecules. This led to lower efficiency for the photoactivation of oxygen. On the other hand, the increase in liposome concentration resulted in the enhancement of the MO binding to lipid membranes and the retardation of MO degradation. Also, the electrostatic attraction and repulsion between the membrane and the substrate influenced the reaction rate greatly. The oxidative degradations of the substrate by singlet oxygen were considered to be much faster in the polar environment than in the less polar environment. The charge transfer or the polarized transition complex of singulet oxygen and MO are presumed to be stabilized in the polar environment. The distribution of substrate between the less polar membrane surface and the polar bulk aqueous solution was another important factor in the photooxidation.