Effects of photodynamic exposure on endothelial cells in vitro

Experiments on cultured human umbilical vein endotheliocytes showed that accumulation of photosensitive dye (aluminum phthalocyanin; PHOTOSENSE) in cells and laser exposure alone were inessential for the viability of endothelial cells. Contrary to this, exposure of the cells which have accumulated aluminum phthalocyanin (an average of 111.1 ng/mg protein) to low-intensity laser (λ=675 nm) led to a dose-dependent reduction of endotheliocyte viability. Hence, cultured endothelial cells can be used for screening of various photosensitizers and preliminary optimization of photodynamic therapy.