{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,20]],"date-time":"2026-09-20T22:20:54Z","timestamp":1789942854910,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,10,24]],"date-time":"2018-10-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1540339200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003329","name":"Ministerio de Econom\u00eda y Competitividad","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CTQ2016-78454-C2-1-R"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CTQ2016-78454-C2-1-R"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003329","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004410","name":"Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2214\/A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2214\/A"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004410","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Ege University, Scientific Research Project","award":["16 NBE 001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["16 NBE 001"]}]},{"name":"European Social Funds and the SUR del DEC de la Generalitat de Catalunya","award":["2017 FI_B2 00140"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2017 FI_B2 00140"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive and innovative cancer therapy based on the photodynamic effect. In this study, we sought to determine the singlet oxygen production, intracellular uptake, and in vitro photodynamic therapy potential of Cetixumab-targeted, zinc(II) 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octa(tert-butylphenoxy))phthalocyaninato(2-)-N29,N30,N31,N32 (ZnPcOBP)-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles against pancreatic cancer cells. Results: The quantum yield (\u03a6\u0394) value of ZnPcOBP was found to be 0.60 in toluene. In vitro cellular studies were performed to determine the dark- and phototoxicity of samples with various concentrations of ZnPcOBP by using pancreatic cells (AsPC-1, PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2) and 20, 30, and 40 J\/cm2 light fluences. No dark toxicity was observed for any sample in any cell line. ZnPcOBP alone showed a modest photodynamic activity. However, when incorporated in silica nanoparticles, it showed a relatively high phototoxic effect, which was further enhanced by Cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody that targets the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR). The cell-line dependent photokilling observed correlates well with EGFR expression levels in these cells. Conclusions: Imidazole-capped Cetuximab-targeted mesoporous silica nanoparticles are excellent vehicles for the selective delivery of ZnPcOBP to pancreatic cancer cells expressing the EGFR receptor. The novel nanosystem appears to be a suitable agent for photodynamic therapy of pancreatic tumors.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules23112749","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,10,24]],"date-time":"2018-10-24T10:40:48Z","timestamp":1540377648000},"page":"2749","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":36,"title":["Selective Photokilling of Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells Using Cetuximab-Targeted Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Delivery of Zinc Phthalocyanine"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3958-6726","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u00d6zge","family":"Er","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nuclear Applications, Institute of Nuclear Science, Ege University, Bornova, Izmir 35100, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Suleyman Gokhan","family":"Colak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Advanced Technology Research &amp; Application Center, Mersin University, Ciftlikkoy Campus, Yenisehir, Mersin 33343, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2807-0425","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kasim","family":"Ocakoglu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Tarsus University, Tarsus 33400, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mine","family":"Ince","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Tarsus University, Tarsus 33400, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7819-7750","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roger","family":"Bresol\u00ed-Obach","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut Quimic de Sarria, Universitat Ramon Llull, Via Augusta 390, 08017 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Margarita","family":"Mora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departament de Bioqu\u00edmica i Biomedicina Molecular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 645, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Llu\u00efsa","family":"Sagrist\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departament de Bioqu\u00edmica i Biomedicina Molecular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 645, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fatma","family":"Yurt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nuclear Applications, Institute of Nuclear Science, Ege University, Bornova, Izmir 35100, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8900-5291","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Santi","family":"Nonell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut Quimic de Sarria, Universitat Ramon Llull, Via Augusta 390, 08017 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,10,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"430","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amjsurg.2008.04.009","article-title":"Molecular targeted therapies for pancreatic cancer","volume":"196","author":"Jensen","year":"2008","journal-title":"Am. 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