Four new hydroporphyrins [the o, m and p isomers of 5,10,15,20-tetra(hydroxyphenyl)chlorin and 5,10,15,20-tetra(m-hydroxyphenyl)bacteriochlorin] related to the tetra(hydroxyphenyl)porphyrins have been prepared. They show the expected strong absorption bands in the red region of the visible spectrum and are found to be very effective tumour photosensitizers.

Abstract— The o‐, m‐, and p‐isomers of 5, 10, 15, 20‐ tetra(hydroxyphenyl)‐porphyrin have been of recent interest as potential second‐generation sensitisers in tumour phototherapy. Fluorescence spectroscopy, nanosecond laser flash photolysis and pulse radiolysis have been used to characterise the singlet and triplet excited states of tetraphenylporphyrin and the o, m‐, and p‐isomers of tetra(hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin. This has included evaluation of fluorescence yields and lifetimes, triplet spectra, lifetimes, oxygen quenching rate constants, extinction coefficients, and yields and singlet oxygen yields. Whilst the fluorescence quantum yields were low, the triplet yields were all 0.7 ± 10% and the singlet oxygen yields 0.6 ± 10%: all these parameters are in the ranges shown by other efficient porphyrin photosensitisers. The similar photophysical properties found for these compounds suggest that their differing tumour sensitising efficiencies are likely to be due to other factors.

Summary We compared para-, meta-and ortho-isomers of meso-tetra(hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (p-, m-and o-THPP) and the potassium salt of the para compound (K-p-THPP) with haematoporphyrin derivative (HpD) and Photofrin II in their ability to sensitise tumours, skin and brain to light. HpD and Photofrin II induced modest tumour photosensitisation at the cost of substantial skin and brain sensitisation. At doses low enough to keep sensitisation of these normal tissues within acceptable limits, tumour sensitisation was sufficient to give necrosis only 2mm deep after exposure to 1OJcm-2 light.In contrast, doses of p-THPP, K-p-THPP and m-THPP that produced skin and brain sensitivity within acceptable limits sensitised tumours enough to give 4-9mm necrosis after OJCcm-2 light. m-THPP was, on a molar basis, about 25-30 times as potent as HpD and Photofrin II in sensitising tumours. o-THPP was also a potent tumour photosensitiser, but induced a prohibitive degree of skin photosensitivity even at low doses.It is unlikely that these differences in relative selectivity are due to differences in such photophysical parameters as optimum activating wavelength (which would affect tissue penetration by light), or light absorption, and physicochemical factors that determine tissue localisation may be involved.The high tumour sensitising potency and favourable tissue selectivity of m-THPP, p-THPP and K-p-THPP make them promising candidates for clinical tumour phototherapy.