Serum and cellular proteins

Serum and cellular proteins is a broad pharmacological category encompassing the diverse array of proteins found in human plasma and within the intracellular compartment of various tissues. This term is primarily utilized in drug databases to describe the interaction profile of non-specific agents, most notably photosensitizers used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) (DrugBank, 2024). Drugs such as porfimer sodium and verteporfin exhibit high affinity for these proteins, which facilitate their transport and accumulation within hypervascularized tissues or malignant tumors (National Cancer Institute, 2023). Upon exposure to specific light wavelengths, the drug-protein complex facilitates the transfer of energy to molecular oxygen, generating singlet oxygen and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause localized protein denaturation, membrane damage, and cell death (StatPearls, 2023). While essential for the pharmacokinetics of many compounds, serum and cellular proteins do not represent a single, druggable molecular entity, but rather a collective substrate for non-targeted therapeutic interventions.

Other names

Plasma proteinsCytosolic proteinsTotal protein poolCirculating and intracellular proteins

Drugs interacting with this broad group of proteins typically bind non-specifically to various components, such as albumin or intracellular enzymes, and are subsequently activated by external stimuli (like light) to produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) (PubMed, 2022). This process leads to localized tissue destruction, vascular occlusion, and induction of an inflammatory response (NIH, 2024).