In vitro generation of carbon monoxide from organic molecules and synthetic metalloporphyrins mediated by light.

Tin protoporphyrin (SnPP) and analogs are being studied as possible agents for the prevention of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia through inhibition of heme oxygenase. Because SnPP is a photosensitizer, we studied its role in the photogeneration of carbon monoxide (CO) from organic compounds in vitro. Generation of CO occurred in the presence of 5 microM SnPP and cool white light (19 muW/cm2/nm or 29 W/m2) from SnPP alone, human serum albumin, glucose, histidine, ethanolamine, medium-chain triglycerides, the reduced form of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and human plasma. More detailed studies with human serum albumin and NADPH established that the photogeneration of CO is nearly linear with time and irradiance. It is curvilinear with respect to the SnPP concentration at the concentrations tested, and it is dependent on the presence of O2 in the reactor headspace. Cool white light generated less CO from human serum albumin and NADPH than equidistantly placed blue and green phototherapy light sources. Comparison of SnPP with other metalloporphyrin heme oxygenase inhibitors indicates that tin mesoporphyrin is most and zinc protoporphyrin least photoreactive.