Meta-tetrahydroxyphenyl chlorine mediated photodynamic therapy inhibits the migration and invasion of a nasopharyngeal carcinoma KJ-1 cell line

Background/PurposeDifferent photosensitizer-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) has different intracellular cytotoxic cascades. Previous reports showed that 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-mediated PDT suppressed the migration and invasion of head and neck cancer cells. Unlike from 5-ALA, which mainly targets the mitochondria of cells, meta-tetrahydroxyphenyl chlorin (m-THPC) mainly accumulates in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex. Does m-THPC PDT inhibit the migration and invasion of cancer cells?MethodsThe effect of m-THPC PDT with a sublethal dose sufficient to kill around 20% of cells on the migration and invasion of a nasopharyngeal carcinoma KJ-1 cell line was studied by wound healing and Matrigel invasion assays.ResultsIn the wound healing assay, the migration distance of KJ-1 cells decreased significantly from 0.71 ± 0.02 mm in the control cells to 0.31 ± 0.03 mm in the PDT-treated cells 24 hours after light treatment (p < 0.05) and the migration distance also decreased significantly from 1.02 ± 0.07 mm in the control cells to 0.32 ± 0.04 mm in the PDT-treated cells 48 hours after treatment (p < 0.05). In the Matrigel invasion assay, the number of the invaded KJ-1 cells in PDT treated group was also statistically significantly less than those without PDT treatment (p < 0.05).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that a sublethal dose of m-THPC PDT inhibits the migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in vitro.