Dye-mediated photosensitization of murine neuroblastoma cells

The purpose of this study was to determine if photosensitization mediated by the fluorescent dye, merocyanine 540, could be used to preferentially kill murine neuroblastoma cells in simulated autologous remission marrow grafts. Simultaneous exposure of Neuro 2a or NB41A3 neuroblastoma cells to merocyanine 540 and white light reduced the concentration of in vitro-clonogenic tumor cells 50,000-fold. By contrast, the same treatment had little effect on the graft's ability to rescue lethally irradiated syngeneic hosts. Lethally irradiated C57BL/6J X A/J F1 mice transplanted with photosensitized mixtures of neuroblastoma cells and normal marrow cells (1:100 or 1:10) survived without developing neuroblastomas. It is conceivable that merocyanine 540-mediated photosensitization will prove useful for the extracorporeal purging of residual neuroblastoma cells from human autologous remission marrow grafts.