Issue 8, 2019

A convenient workflow to spot photosensitizers revealed photo-activity in basidiomycetes

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an alternative approach for the treatment of neoplastic diseases employing photosensitizers activated by light. In order to discover new natural photosensitizers, a convenient workflow was established. To validate the workflow, fungi were selected, because we hypothesized that fruiting bodies and mycelia are an overlooked source. The results proved the hypothesis, as exorbitant high photo-cytotoxicity values were detected. For example, the acetone extract of Cortinarius croceus was characterized by an EC50, 9.3 J cm−2 of 1 µg mL−1 against cells of a lung cancer cell-line (A549). In sum, a low-cost workflow for the detection and biological evaluation of photosensitizers is presented and discussed. Furthermore, this paper provides the first experimental evidence for phototoxic metabolites in basidiomycetes. This hints towards a new assignable function of fungal pigments, i.e. photochemical defense.

Graphical abstract: A convenient workflow to spot photosensitizers revealed photo-activity in basidiomycetes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
11 Dec 2018
Accepted
24 Jan 2019
First published
05 Feb 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2019,9, 4545-4552

A convenient workflow to spot photosensitizers revealed photo-activity in basidiomycetes

B. Siewert, P. Vrabl, F. Hammerle, I. Bingger and H. Stuppner, RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 4545 DOI: 10.1039/C8RA10181G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements