Preclinical translational screening of palladium(II)-porphyrin photosensitizers across human and Oncopig bladder cancer cell lines

To perform a preclinical in vitro screening of three palladium(II)-porphyrins in human and Oncopig-derived bladder cancer cell models.

Cytotoxicity Assessment: Cytotoxicity was evaluated under light and dark conditions using MTT and LIVE/DEAD assays.
ROS Generation Measurement: Intracellular ROS generation was quantified via DCFH-DA fluorescence.
Gene Expression Profiling: Gene expression profiling targeted oxidative stress and apoptosis markers using qRT-PCR.
Nuclear Morphology Analysis: Nuclear morphology was analyzed using DAPI staining.

All three compounds exhibited light-dependent cytotoxicity with minimal dark toxicity.
3-Pd(PPh3) and 3-Pd(dppf) demonstrated potent photodynamic activity with nanomolar IC50 values.
3-Pd(PEPSI) showed higher IC50 values, indicating lower photodynamic potency.
Photoactivation triggered significant ROS production and upregulation of CAT and CASP3.
Oncopig-derived cells exhibited responses closely matching those of human bladder cancer cell lines.

The study is limited to in vitro models and may not fully replicate in vivo conditions.
Further validation in large-animal studies is required to confirm findings.