In vivo singlet molecular oxygen measurements: Sensitive to changes in oxygen saturation during PDT

Direct singlet molecular oxygen detection is known to be a valuable tool for understanding photodynamic action. It could become useful for optimizing illumination schedules in photodynamic therapy. The method of time resolved singlet molecular oxygen luminescence detection can give insights into generation of singlet oxygen and its interaction with the environment and therefore possibly allows monitoring the treatments efficacy. Due to high requirements for sensitivity as well as time resolution it has not yet been used in situ. The latest improvements in the detection system make in vivo time resolved singlet molecular oxygen luminescence detection possible.

In this work, blood vessels in the chicken embryo CAM-model were scanned after injection of the photosensitizer Foslip^®, yielding time resolved singlet molecular oxygen luminescence. A custom-made trifurcated fiber in combination with a dye laser, a photomultiplier tube and a fiber spectrometer was utilized for simultaneous excitation, singlet molecular oxygen luminescence and photosensitizer fluorescence detection.

Singlet oxygen luminescence kinetics for mixed venous and arterialized blood in chicken embryos using the CAM-model were recorded. The data analysis resulted in two distinct and distinguishable photosensitizer triplet lifetimes corresponding to the high and low oxygen partial pressures in the oxygen-rich arterialized blood and oxygen-poor mixed venous blood.

The sensitivity of direct singlet molecular oxygen luminescence detection to different oxygen partial pressures could be shown in vivo. Therefore, this study is a first step towards optimizing the illumination conditions of photodynamic treatment in situ by real time monitoring of the oxygen partial pressure within the target tissue.