Glioma is the most common brain malignancy with poor prognosis. The current treatments for gliomas are mainly based on surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, which exhibit limited efficacy. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using photosensitizers has been applied to glioma therapy. However, different photosensitizers usually lead to different therapeutic effects and adverse reactions.

This study investigates the anti-tumor effect of photosensitizer ZnPcS₄-BSA in xenograft glioma tumors.

The xenograft glioma tumor model was established by inoculating nude mice with U251 cells. Tumor growth was evaluated by tumor volume, weight, and inhibition rate. Cell apoptosis was evaluated using TUNEL staining. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and microvessel density were measured by immunohistochemistry.

Significant decreases in tumor volume and weight as well as significant increases in tumor inhibition rate, cell apoptosis, VEGF expression, and microvessel density were observed in mice in the low- and high-dose PDT groups compared to the control, irradiation alone, and photosensitizer alone groups. No significant difference in cytotoxicity was observed between control group and photosensitizer alone group. Photosensitizer ZnPcS₄-BSA significantly inhibited xenograft glioma tumor growth through induction of apoptosis.

PDT using ZnPcS₄-BSA may be effective for the therapy of gliomas.