Imagine trying to kill deep-hidden tumors with light, but the light can't reach deep enough. Plus, tumors often have low oxygen levels, making them tough to kill with traditional methods. Scientists are now exploring a new type of light-absorbing chemical, called Near-Infrared (NIR) photosensitizers. One such chemical is called 'Cycloimide Purpurin-18' or CIPp-18. Researchers tested CIPp-18 on human breast and cervical cancer cells, both under normal and low oxygen conditions.

When CIPp-18 was added to the cells and NIR light was shone on them, the cells died. Even in low oxygen conditions, the cells showed a similar level of damage as they did in normal oxygen conditions. CIPp-18 created two types of harmful molecules: singlet oxygen and superoxide. Under normal oxygen conditions, singlet oxygen was the main cause of cell death. But under low oxygen conditions, it was a different story. The cells still died, but without much of these harmful molecules. It's like the cells were being killed in a different way, maybe by the chemical sticking to the cell membrane and making it leaky.

These findings show that CIPp-18 could be a promising tool for killing cancer cells, even in low oxygen environments. It suggests that in these conditions, the chemical damages cells through a different mechanism that doesn't involve those harmful oxygen molecules.

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