FORMULATION OF A ZINC(II)-PHTHALOCYANINE-CONTAINING TOPICAL GEL FOR PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY OF HYPERPROLIFERATIVE SKIN CONDITIONS

Zinc(II)-phthalocyanine is a lipophilic photosensitizer that shows pro mise as an agent for photodynamic therapy of hyperproliferative condit ions. In order to address the treatment of skin conditions, we have de veloped a topical formulation of this molecule. Only a limited number of solvents were able to solubilize the dye to any extent and of these , the most suitable for formulation purposes was N-methyl-2-pyrrolidon e. We, therefore, incorporated the photosensitizer in a nonaqueous gel formulation using this solvent. Under standard storage conditions, th ere was little or no degradation or aggregation of the dye and this fo rmulation will be used to explore the potential of photodynamic therap y in various skin diseases.