Q. Zhan et al., CHEMICAL-ANALYSIS OF CANCER-THERAPY PHOTOSENSITIZERS BY 2-STEP LASER MASS-SPECTROMETRY, Analytical chemistry, 66(19), 1994, pp. 3259-3266
We have applied two-step laser mass spectrometry (L2MS) to the qualita
tive chemical analysis of porphyrin-derived photosensitizer dyes used
for detection and photodynamic therapy of cancer. The only ionization
technique applied so far to these low-volatility compounds had been fa
st atom bombardment (FAB), which suffers from problems associated with
cluster formation of the porphyrins upon FAB ionization. From FAB and
chromatography data, the existence of porphyrin dimers, trimers, and
oligomers in commercial photosensitizers was concluded to be crucial f
or tumor localization, but it is possible that clustering or preformed
van der Waals aggregates gave rise to these results. L2MS indicates t
hat commercially available hematoporphyrin derivative and Photofrin II
contain no detectable amounts of covalently bound porphyrin oligomers
. Synthetic porphyrin dimers and trimers could be unambiguously detect
ed by L2MS.