Synthesis and characterization of two new agents for photothermal therapy and multiple therap

One of the common disadvantages of traditional cancer treatment and antimicrobial therapies is the development of drug resistance. Furthermore, side effects of cancer treatment methods often lead to dose limitations. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), sonophotodynamic therapy (SPDT), and photothermal therapy (PTT) are new-generation treatment methods that aim to overcome these limitations. However, because PDT and SPDT may not be highly effective under certain conditions, especially hypoxic conditions, they are used clinically as adjuvant therapies rather than primary therapies. Furthermore, the loss of effectiveness of organic sensitizers due to aggregation in water is a major factor complicating treatment. In this thesis, two different organic sensitizers were synthesized, one for anticancer and the other for antimicrobial testing. The aggregation problem in water was addressed by two different approaches to sensitizer design: water-insoluble sensitizer 1 was nanoformulated with serum albumin to form a composite, while compound 2 was synthesized as a water-soluble sensitizer through chemical modifications. Studies conducted within the scope of this thesis demonstrate that the nanocomposite is a suitable multitherapy agent for therapies such as PDT, SPDT, and PTT. In vitro studies on the Luminal Breast Cancer (MCF-7 ATCC® HTB-22™) cell line indicate that the nanocomposite exhibits high cytotoxicity. Furthermore, in vitro studies with sensitizer 2 demonstrated that sensitizer 2 is a highly effective PTT agent against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. In summary, two new organic sensitizers with anticancer and antimicrobial properties were developed in this thesis, and their therapeutic efficacy was demonstrated via in vitro studies.