Photocatalytic Generation of Oxygen Radicals by the Water-Soluble Bacteriochlorophyll Derivative WST11, Noncovalently Bound to Serum Albumin

Light-induced radical generation is the hallmark of fundamental processes and many applications including photosynthesis and photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this manuscript, we present two novel observations made upon monitoring light-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in aqueous solutions by WST11, a water-soluble derivative of the photosynthetic pigment Bacteriochlorophyll a (Bchl). Using a host of complementary experimental techniques including time-resolved spectroscopy at the subpicosecond to the millisecond range, ESR spectroscopy, electrochemistry, spectroelectrochemistry, oximetry, and protein mass spectroscopy, we first show that in aqueous solutions WST11 generates only superoxide (O-2(-center dot)) and hydroxyl (OH center dot) radicals with no detectable traces of singlet oxygen. Second, we show that WST11 makes a noncovalent complex with human serum albumin (HSA) and that this complex functions as a photocatalytic oxidoreductase at biologically relevant concentrations enabling approximately 15 cycles of electron transfer from the associated HSA protein to molecular oxygen in the solution. These findings rule out the paradigm that porphyrin and chlorophyll based PDT is mainly mediated by formation of singlet oxygen, particularly in vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) with sensitizers that undergo photoactivation during circulation in the plasma, like [Pd]-Bacteriopheophorbide (WST09, Tookad). At the same time, our findings open the way for new design paradigms of novel sensitizers, since O2(-center dot) and OH center dot radicals are well-recognized precursors of important pathophysiological processes that can be activated for achieving tumor eradication. Moreover, the finding that promiscuous protein scaffolds become sinks for holes and electrons when holding light-activated pigments provides a new insight to the evolution and action mechanism of natural light activated oxidoreductases (such as photosynthetic reaction centers) and new guidelines for the preparation of synthetic-light converting machineries.