Increased Incorporation of Photosensitive Dyes into Yeast Cells by Electroporation

Abstract

Photooxidation by natural and synthetic sensitizers as a method of cell destruction also shows practical possibilities, whereas electroporation accelerates drug incorporation. Both agents were combined for the synergistic destruction of yeast cells. The sensitizers thiopyronin, protoporphyrin, and actinomycin D, a cancerostatic peptide dye, act according to type 1 or type 2 photochemical mechanisms. Two series of applications of single DC pulses and continuous visible light were performed with the result that this synergism yielded an efficacy up to ten times higher than the ordinary irradiation of intact yeast cells. This combination of electricity and light can be the starting point for an improved photodynamic therapy.