CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PHOTOCHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENT DISULFONATED ALUMINUM PHTHALOCYANINE AND ITS HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC SEPARATED COMPONENTS

Disulphonated aluminium phthalocyanine (AlPcS2). a potential clinical photosensitiser, has been synthesised in a reproducible form and shown by reversed-phase HPLC to consist of at least eight components which are believed to be individual AlPcS2 regioisomers. These components ha ve been isolated either as single bands or mixtures of two using prepa rative reversed-phase HPLC methods. The number and position of sulphon ate groups per phthalocyanine macromolecule for each component has bee n determined using a chemical degradation and HPLC assay. Results sugg est that the bulk AlPcS2 material consists mostly (>60%) of an amphiph ilic alpha-,alpha-disubstituted regioisomer, with both sulphonate grou ps substituted to the same side of the molecule (adjacent form). Possi ble structures for some of the other separated components of AlPcS2 ar e also presented.