Resumen
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare, fatal cancer with limited treatment options. Photodynamic therapy is an emerging treatment option which uses a drug (known as a photosensitizer) and a specific type of light to selectively destroy cancerous cells. We have synthesized new photosensitizing drugs by linking organic chemical structures (variable length fatty acid chains) to existing photosensitisers. These new photosensitizing drugs were characterized, and their cancer-killing capabilities were also assessed in malignant mesothelioma cells in the laboratory. We have found that one of the newly synthesized photosensitisers (C5SHU) appeared to cause a significant amount of cell death in the malignant mesothelioma cells in combination with light. C5SHU-induced cell death did not occur in the absence of light. Therefore, we propose that this photosensitizer?C5SHU?is a suitable anti-tumour drug candidate in this hard-to-treat cancer.