Investigation of the Anti-Cancer of Photodynamic Therapy Effects by Using the Novel Schiff-Base Ligand Complex on Human Breast Cancer Cell Line

Abstract Chemotherapy plays a role in many cancer therapies, including breast cancer, but due to its significant side effects, alternate treatment approaches have been investigated. One such alternative is Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), which employs a combination of oxygen, a photosensitizer (PS), and light of a specific wavelength. Transition metal complexes and SBL have gained interest in PDT. In this study aimed to assess the potential antitumor activity and underlying mechanism of a newly synthesized Schiff Base Ligand (SBL)-mediated PDT on MCF-7 cells, comparing its efficacy to cisplatin. We synthesized and characterized two novel Pd-conjugated SBL compounds (complex-1 and 2). Following the treatment of MCF-7 cells with these compounds, a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) was utilized to deliver a light dose of 14.8 J/cm2. In MCF-7 cells, we also looked at cytotoxicity, cell death rates, and ROS levels. Results indicated a significant increase in cytotoxicity and ROS levels in the group treated with complex-1 mediated PDT. The apoptotic and necrotic cell death also rose significantly. In conclusion, our study suggests that the complex-1 compound may serve as a promising candidate for anticancer agents in PDT for MCF-7 cells. In contrast, complex-2 mediated PDT did not demonstrate any observable anticancer activity.