Hydrophobic copolymers containing octahedral molybdenum clusters for photodynamic therapy
Michal Pechar
Octahedral molybdenum clusters can be, in principle, used as phosensitizers for photodynamic therapy of malignant tumors. Covalent attachment of phosphorescent molybdenum clusters to water-soluble copolymers based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) improves the stability of the clusters against hydrolysis, prevents their aggregation and diminishes unwanted cytotoxicity. At the same time the polymer carrier enables delivery of the clusters to solid tumors due to so-called EPR effect. Moreover, other functional moieties such as tumor-specific targeting ligands or cell penetrating peptides can further improve the efficacy of the anti-tumor therapy.
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