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Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Inactivation of Pathogens via Visible-Light Photolysis of Riboflavin-5′-Phosphate
Published on: April 6, 2022
Photodynamic inactivation of multiresistant bacteria (KPC) using zinc(II)phthalocyanines
Mariana Miretti1, Romina Clementi2, Tomas C Tempesti1
1INFIQC (CONICET), Dpto. de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, Córdoba (5000), Córdoba, Argentina.
Abstract:
The worldwide increase in antibiotic resistance has led to search of alternatives anti-microbial therapies such as photodynamic inactivation. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the photodynamic activity in vitro of a neutral and two cationic Zn phthalocyanines. Their photokilling activity was tested on Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase (KPC)-producing. After treating bacteria with phthalocyanines, the cultures were irradiated with white light. As a result, the bacteria were inactivated in presence of cationic phthalocyanines. The photoinactivation was dependent of the irradiation time and phthalocyanine concentration. The most effective photosensitizer on KPC-producing was Zinc(II)tetramethyltetrapyridino[2,3-b:2',3'-g:2″,3″-l:2‴,3‴-q]porphyrazinium methylsulfate (ZnTM2,3PyPz). After irradiation using the water soluble ZnTM2,3PyPz (3μM) the viability of KPC (30min of irradiation) and E. coli (10min of irradiation) decreased ≈99.995%.

