Antitumor effects in gastrointestinal stromal tumors using photodynamic therapy with a novel glucose-conjugated chlorin.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Except for surgical resection, no effective treatment strategies have been established. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) consists of intravenous administration of a photosensitizer, activated by a specific wavelength of light, which produces reactive oxygen species that directly kill tumor cells. We analyzed the efficacy of PDT using a newly developed photosensitizer, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis [4-[β-d-glucopyranosylthio-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl]-2,3,[methano[N-methyl] iminomethano] chlorin (H(2)TFPC-SGlc), for the GIST treatment. Various photosensitizers were administered in vitro to GIST (GIST-T1) and fibroblast (WI-38) cells, followed by irradiation, after which cell death was compared. We additionally established xenograft mouse models with GIST-T1 tumors and examined the accumulation and antitumor effects of these photosensitizers in vivo. In vitro, the expression of the glucose transporters GLUT1, GLUT3, and GLUT4, the cellular uptake of H(2)TFPC-SGlc, and apoptosis mediated by PDT with H(2)TFPC-SGlc were significantly higher in GIST-T1 than in WI-38 cells. In vivo, H(2)TFPC-SGlc accumulation was higher in xenograft tumors of GIST-T1 cells than in the adjacent normal tissue, and tumor growth was significantly suppressed following PDT. PDT with novel H(2)TFPC-SGlc is potentially useful for clinical applications about the treatment of GIST.