Preparation and in vitro photodynamic activity of amphiphilic zinc(II) phthalocyanines substituted with 2-(dimethylamino)ethylthio moieties and their N-alkylated derivatives

A new series of amphiphilic zinc(II) phthalocyanines containing amino or ammonium groups have been synthesized. In general, they exhibit high photocytotoxicity with IC50 values as low as 0.08 μM, and show high and selective affinity to the mitochondria or cell membrane of HT29 cells depending on the charge of the substituents.