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Review
. 2020 May 14;18(5):257.
doi: 10.3390/md18050257.

Pheophorbide a: State of the Art

Assunta Saide  1 , Chiara Lauritano  1 , Adrianna Ianora  1
Affiliations
Review

Pheophorbide a: State of the Art

Assunta Saide et al. Mar Drugs. .

Abstract

Chlorophyll breakdown products are usually studied for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The chlorophyll derivative Pheophorbide a (PPBa) is a photosensitizer that can induce significant anti-proliferative effects in several human cancer cell lines. Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for about 9.6 million deaths, in 2018 alone. Hence, it is crucial to monitor emergent compounds that show significant anticancer activity and advance them into clinical trials. In this review, we analyze the anticancer activity of PPBa with or without photodynamic therapy and also conjugated with or without other chemotherapic drugs, highlighting the capacity of PPBa to overcome multidrug resistance. We also report other activities of PPBa and different pathways that it can activate, showing its possible applications for the treatment of human pathologies.

Keywords: anticancer compound; cell death; chlorophyll; microalgae; pheophorbide a.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Synthesis of Pheophorbide a, from Chlorophyll a. Chlorophyllase and Mg-dechelatase enzymes catalyze the reaction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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