Photosensitization with anticancer agents. 17. EPR studies of photodynamic action of hypericin: formation of semiquinone radical and activated oxygen species on illumination.

When hypericin was illuminated with 580 nm light in aqueous solution, the semiquinone radical, singlet oxygen, and superoxide anion radical were detected. The formation of the semiquinone radical and activated oxygen species and the transformation and competition between them depend on the quinone and oxygen concentrations, irradiation time and intensity, and the nature of substrate. In anaerobic solution containing a high concentration of the quinone, the semiquinone radical was predominantly photoproduced. In contrast, in aerobic solution, singlet oxygen is the principal product in the photosensitization of hypericin. Besides singlet oxygen, superoxide anion radical is generated by the quinone on illumination in aerobic solution via the reduction of oxygen by the semiquinone radical, but to a lesser extent than singlet oxygen. The generation of superoxide anion radical is significantly enhanced by the presence of electron donors.