Anti-inflammatory photodynamic activity of tetraphenyl-substituted porphyrin in J774.2 macrophage cells

Porphyrin derivatives have been explored as potential agents for Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory photodynamic activity of a symmetrical tetraphenyl-substituted porphyrin derivative in mammalian macrophage cells. In this study, the previously synthesized compound 5,10,15,20- tetra(4‑tert‑butylphenyl)porphyrin (POR) was evaluated. To investigate the potential effects of POR on the immune response, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factoralpha (TNF-α) levels were measured in cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cytokine analyses were performed under conditions where the compound was applied in the dark and under 5 and 10 min light exposure. The data show that the porphyrin derivative exhibits a significant anti-inflammatory photodynamic effect in vitro when applied at subtoxic concentrations. No cytotoxicity was observed at all applied doses, both in the presence and absence of light. This is consistent with previous literature findings demonstrating the non-cytotoxic nature of porphyrin derivatives. While high-concentration POR applications create a strong anti-inflammatory response in dark conditions, a significant decrease in TNF-α and IL-6 release was recorded with light application. Furthermore, the observed effects were dose-dependent, highlighting the critical importance of optimizing the dose for potential therapeutic uses. The results indicate that the studied porphyrin derivative has photodynamic anti-inflammatory properties and suggest that this compound can be evaluated as a candidate therapeutic agent in the management of diseases where suppression of the immune response is targeted.