Daylight-PDT: everything under the sun

Construction of Photosensitizer Candidates in Photodynamic Therapy: Computer Aided Design, Calculation, and Screening

Thiophene and pyrrole units are extensively utilized in light-responsive materials and have significantly advanced the field of organic photovoltaics (OPV). This progress has inspired our exploration of photosensitizers (PS) for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Currently, traditional PS face limitations in clinical application, including a restricted variety and narrow applicability. Drawing upon molecular design concepts from OPV, we aim to transcend these limitations in PDT. Given the abundance of candidate molecules, effective screening is crucial. Theoretical calculations and electronic structure analyses serve as precise and practical screening methods. In this study, we adopted strategies successfully employed in OPV molecular design, focusing on donor-acceptor (D-A) and acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) structures. Using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), we systematically designed combinations of promising organic fragments. These fragments include polythiophene and polypyrrole-dominated donor structures, paired with five electron acceptors: indene (Ind), diketopyrrole (DPP), naphthalimide (Ni), benzothiazole (Btd), and dithiazolyl diketopyrrole (Tbo). Through meticulous calculations, we obtained electronic structures and spectral properties for all candidate molecules, facilitating an efficient screening process. Our findings highlight that those combinations of polypyrrole-based frameworks with DPP, Ni, and Btd show significant promise for PS applications. Approximately 13% of candidates were selected through comprehensive comparison, markedly reducing molecular design time and experimental costs. This interdisciplinary approach holds potential to pave the way for more targeted and successful PS designs.

Effects of aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy combined with antibiotics on Mycobacterium abscessus skin infections: An in vitro and in vivo study

BACKGROUND

Mycobacterium abscessus skin infections have emerged as a major medical issue. Traditional antibiotic treatments are challenging, prolonged, and often lead to recurrence, creating an urgent need for new therapies. This study investigates the effectiveness of aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) combined with antibiotics in treatmenting M. abscessus, using both in vitro and in vivo methods.

METHODS

We treated eight patients with M. abscessus skin infections following cosmetic surgery, using ALA-PDT (ALA concentration: 20 %; red light: 80 J/cm2) combined with oral or intravenous antibiotics,including clarithromycin, moxifloxacin and amikacin, to treat 8 patients with M. abscessus skin infection after medical cosmetic surgery, and assessed the treatment outcomes. Additionally, four bacterial strains (MAB-A1, MAB-A2, MAB-B1, and MAB-B2) isolated from patients were tested in vitro for ALA-PDT efficacy to determine the optimal ALA-PDT dosage. Furthermore, the strains' single colony morphology, biofilm formation, and genome characteristics of were analyzed to explore the factors influencing ALA-PDT's bactericidal effects. Finally, a combined ALA-PDT and antibiotics sterilization experiment was conducted in vitro.

RESULTS

Clinically, ALA-PDT combined with antibiotics showed strong efficacy in treating M. abscessus skin infections, with no recurrence observed during follow-up. In vitro, ALA-PDT effectively killed M. abscessus, although MAB-B1 and MAB-B2 required a higher ALA-PDT dose compared with MAB-A1 and MAB-A2. Compared to MAB-A1 and MAB-A2, MAB-B1 and MAB-B2 exhibited stronger biofilm formation capabilities and bacterial virulence as well as genome mutations primarily affecting fatty acid synthesis and metabolism, potentially explaining their increased ALA-PDT dosage requirement. Notably, the combination of ALA-PDT and antibiotics exerted markedly higher bactericidal effects in vitro compared with antibiotics alone.

CONCLUSIONS

ALA-PDT combined with antibiotics emerged as an effective treatment for M. abscessus skin infections. However, optimal dosage and antibiotic combinations should be tailored to the characteristics of specific clinical strains.

Reactive Oxygen Species-Sensitive Nanophotosensitizers Composed of Buthionine Sulfoximine-Conjugated Chitosan Oligosaccharide for Enhanced Photodynamic Treatment of Cancer Cells

The efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) based on traditional photosensitizers is generally limited by the cellular redox homeostasis system due to the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging effect of glutathione (GSH). In this study, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), a GSH inhibitor, was conjugated with the amine group of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) using a thioketal linker (COSthBSO) to liberate BSO and chlorine e6 (Ce6) under oxidative stress, and then, Ce6-COSthBSO NP (Ce6-COSthBSO NP), fabricated by a dialysis procedure, showed an accelerated release rate of BSO and Ce6 by the addition of hydrogen peroxide, indicating that nanophotosensitizers have ROS sensitivity. In the in vitro cell culture study using HCT116 colon carcinoma cells, a combination of BSO and Ce6 efficiently suppressed the intracellular GSH and increased ROS production compared to the sole treatment of Ce6. In particular, Ce6-COSthBSO NP showed higher efficacy in the suppression of GSH levels and ROS production compared to the free Ce6 and Ce6/BSO combination. These results were due to the fact that Ce6-COSthBSO NP was efficiently delivered to the intracellular region, suppressed intracellular GSH levels, and elevated ROS levels. The in vivo animal tumor xenograft study demonstrated Ce6-COSthBSO NP being efficiently delivered to the tumor tissue, i.e., the fluorescence intensity in the tumor tissue was higher than those of other organs. The combination of Ce6 and BSO efficiently suppressed tumor growth compared to the sole treatment of Ce6, indicating that BSO might efficiently suppress GSH levels and increase ROS levels in the tumor microenvironment. Specifically, Ce6-COSthBSO NP showed the strongest performance in inhibition of tumor growth than those of Ce6 or the CE6/BSO combination, indicating that they were efficiently delivered to tumor tissue, increased ROS levels, and then efficiently inhibited tumor growth. We suggest that COSthBSO nanophotosensitizers are promising candidates for PDT treatment of cancer cells.

Advances in Medicine: Photodynamic Therapy

Over the past decades, medicine has made enormous progress, revolutionized by modern technologies and innovative therapeutic approaches. One of the most exciting branches of these developments is photodynamic therapy (PDT). Using a combination of light of a specific wavelength and specially designed photosensitizing substances, PDT offers new perspectives in the fight against cancer, bacterial infections, and other diseases that are resistant to traditional treatment methods. In today's world, where there is a growing problem of drug resistance, the search for alternative therapies is becoming more and more urgent. Imagine that we could destroy cancer cells or bacteria using light, without the need to use strong chemicals or antibiotics. This is what PDT promises. By activating photosensitizers using appropriately adjusted light, this therapy can induce the death of cancer or bacterial cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. In this work, we will explore this fascinating method, discovering its mechanisms of action, clinical applications, and development prospects. We will also analyze the latest research and patient testimonies to understand the potential of PDT for the future of medicine.

The use of photodynamic therapy in medical practice

Cancer therapy, especially for tumors near sensitive areas, demands precise treatment. This review explores photodynamic therapy (PDT), a method leveraging photosensitizers (PS), specific wavelength light, and oxygen to target cancer effectively. Recent advancements affirm PDT's efficacy, utilizing ROS generation to induce cancer cell death. With a history spanning over decades, PDT's dynamic evolution has expanded its application across dermatology, oncology, and dentistry. This review aims to dissect PDT's principles, from its inception to contemporary medical applications, highlighting its role in modern cancer treatment strategies.

Advances in photodynamic therapy of pathologic scar

Pathologic scars include keloids and hypertrophic scars due to abnormal wound healing. Both cause symptoms of itching and pain; they also affect one's appearance and may even constrain movement. Such scars place a heavy burden on the individual's physical and mental health; moreover, treatment with surgery alone is highly likely to leave more scarring. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a treatment that is both minimally invasive and convenient. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging safe and noninvasive technology wherein photosensitizers and specific light sources are used to treat malignant tumors and skin diseases. Research on PDT from both the laboratory and clinic has been reported. These findings on the treatment of pathologic scars using photosensitizers, light sources, and other mechanisms are reviewed in the present article.

Application of fluorocarbon nanoparticles of 131I-fulvestrant as a targeted radiation drug for endocrine therapy on human breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant tumor among women, with hormone receptor-positive cases constituting 70%. Fulvestrant, an antagonist for these receptors, is utilized for advanced metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Yet, its inhibitory effect on tumor cells is not strong, and it lacks direct cytotoxicity. Consequently, there's a significant challenge in preventing recurrence and metastasis once cancer cells develop resistance to fulvestrant.

METHOD

To address these challenges, we engineered tumor-targeting nanoparticles termed 131I-fulvestrant-ALA-PFP-FA-NPs. This involved labeling fulvestrant with 131I to create 131I-fulvestrant. Subsequently, we incorporated the 131I-fulvestrant and 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) into fluorocarbon nanoparticles with folate as the targeting agent. This design facilitates a tri-modal therapeutic approach-endocrine therapy, radiotherapy, and PDT for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

RESULTS

Our in vivo and in vitro tests showed that the drug-laden nanoparticles effectively zeroed in on tumors. This targeting efficiency was corroborated using SPECT-CT imaging, confocal microscopy, and small animal fluorescence imaging. The 131I-fulvestrant-ALA-PFP-FA-NPs maintained stability and showcased potent antitumor capabilities due to the synergism of endocrine therapy, radiotherapy, and CR-PDT. Throughout the treatment duration, we detected no notable irregularities in hematological, biochemical, or histological evaluations.

CONCLUSION

We've pioneered a nanoparticle system loaded with radioactive isotope 131I, endocrine therapeutic agents, and a photosensitizer precursor. This system offers a combined modality of radiotherapy, endocrine treatment, and PDT for breast cancer.

Full-face ALA-PDT for facial actinic keratosis: Two case reports

We reported two cases of full-face 5-aminolevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) for facial multiple actinic keratosis (AK). After the full-face ALA-PDT, we observed that the AK lesions on the faces of the patients were completely cleared and facial rejuvenation was achieved. In our follow-up, one patient was free of recurrence for over 13 months and the other one for over 28 months. The experience of these two cases may indicate that full-face ALA-PDT has an excellent therapeutic effect while potentially preventing the recurrence of AK.

Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-photodynamic therapy (PDT) for lichen sclerosus of face: case report and literature review

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis typical of the genital region, with rare involvement of extragenital areas and particularly the face. LS therapeutic management is challenging, and common therapies including topical and systemic corticosteroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, surgery are often ineffective. Herein, we present a case of LS occurred in a 36-year-old girl with facial involvement resistant to therapy with systemic corticosteroids and topical tacrolimus. Considering the involvement of a sensitive area, the young age of the patient, and the consistent clinical experience in using photodynamic therapy for the treatment of facial skin disease, we started a treatment with topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-photodynamic therapy (PDT) with a dosage of 37 J/cm2 once a month. We compared our case with eight other facial LS patients from the literature and treated differently.

Effect of topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy versus therapy combined with CO2 laser pretreatment for patients with cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) combined with CO2 laser pretreatment (Laser+ALA-PDT) on patients with cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs).

METHODS

A total of 114 patients treated by ALA-PDT or Laser+ALA-PDT at 3 centers were retrospectively reviewed. The effective rate, cure rate of lesions as well as high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) regression rate and persistent infection rate in the 2 groups were compared according to 3-6 month and 9-12 months follow-ups. The characteristics and risk factors for ineffective cases were evaluated by regression analysis.

RESULTS

At the 3-6month follow-up, the effective rate was significantly higher in the Laser+ALA-PDT group than in the ALA-PDT group (96.6% vs. 81.3%, p = 0.048). A total of 79.3% of the laser+ALA-PDT patients achieved cure rate compared with 61.3% of the ALA-PDT patients (p = 0.082). In the Laser+ALA-PDT group, the HR-HPV-negative rate was significantly higher (72.4% vs. 50.7%, p = 0.045), while the persistence rate was significantly lower (20.7% vs. 42.7%, p = 0.037). At the 9-12month follow-up, the cure rate was 83% in the ALA-PDT group, 17% lower than that in the Laser+ALA-PDT group (p = 0.055). A total of 20.8% of patients in the ALA-PDT group and 5.3% in the Laser+ALA-PDT group showed persistent HR-HPV infection (p = 0.120). Pretreatment HR-HPV type, multiple infections and treatment modality were relevant factors for PDT outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with cervical HSIL, laser+ALA-PDT shows better efficiency and HPV regression compared with ALA-PDT. HPV16/18 and multi-infection may be risk factors for ineffective treatment with ALA-PDT.

Advanced Light Source Technologies for Photodynamic Therapy of Skin Cancer Lesions

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an increasingly popular dermatological treatment not only used for life-threatening skin conditions and other tumors but also for cosmetic purposes. PDT has negligible effects on underlying functional structures, enabling tissue regeneration feasibility. PDT uses a photosensitizer (PS) and visible light to create cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, which can damage cellular organelles and trigger cell death. The foundations of modern photodynamic therapy began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and in recent times, it has gained more attention due to the development of new sources and PSs. This review focuses on the latest advancements in light technology for PDT in treating skin cancer lesions. It discusses recent research and developments in light-emitting technologies, their potential benefits and drawbacks, and their implications for clinical practice. Finally, this review summarizes key findings and discusses their implications for the use of PDT in skin cancer treatment, highlighting the limitations of current approaches and providing insights into future research directions to improve both the efficacy and safety of PDT. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of PDT for skin cancer treatment, covering various aspects ranging from the underlying mechanisms to the latest technological advancements in the field.

5-Aminolevulinic Acid as a Theranostic Agent for Tumor Fluorescence Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy

5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a naturally occurring amino acid synthesized in all nucleated mammalian cells. As a porphyrin precursor, ALA is metabolized in the heme biosynthetic pathway to produce protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), a fluorophore and photosensitizing agent. ALA administered exogenously bypasses the rate-limit step in the pathway, resulting in PpIX accumulation in tumor tissues. Such tumor-selective PpIX disposition following ALA administration has been exploited for tumor fluorescence diagnosis and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with much success. Five ALA-based drugs have now received worldwide approval and are being used for managing very common human (pre)cancerous diseases such as actinic keratosis and basal cell carcinoma or guiding the surgery of bladder cancer and high-grade gliomas, making it the most successful drug discovery and development endeavor in PDT and photodiagnosis. The potential of ALA-induced PpIX as a fluorescent theranostic agent is, however, yet to be fully fulfilled. In this review, we would like to describe the heme biosynthesis pathway in which PpIX is produced from ALA and its derivatives, summarize current clinical applications of ALA-based drugs, and discuss strategies for enhancing ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence and PDT response. Our goal is two-fold: to highlight the successes of ALA-based drugs in clinical practice, and to stimulate the multidisciplinary collaboration that has brought the current success and will continue to usher in more landmark advances.

Improved Simulated-Daylight Photodynamic Therapy and Possible Mechanism of Ag-Modified TiO2 on Melanoma

Simulated-daylight photodynamic therapy (SD-PDT) may be an efficacious strategy for treating melanoma because it can overcome the severe stinging pain, erythema, and edema experienced during conventional PDT. However, the poor daylight response of existing common photosensitizers leads to unsatisfactory anti-tumor therapeutic effects and limits the development of daylight PDT. Hence, in this study, we utilized Ag nanoparticles to adjust the daylight response of TiO₂, acquire efficient photochemical activity, and then enhance the anti-tumor therapeutic effect of SD-PDT on melanoma. The synthesized Ag-doped TiO₂ showed an optimal enhanced effect compared to Ag-core TiO₂. Doping Ag into TiO₂ produced a new shallow acceptor impurity level in the energy band structure, which expanded optical absorption in the range of 400-800 nm, and finally improved the photodamage effect of TiO₂ under SD irradiation. Plasmonic near-field distributions were enhanced due to the high refractive index of TiO₂ at the Ag-TiO₂ interface, and then the amount of light captured by TiO₂ was increased to induce the enhanced SD-PDT effect of Ag-core TiO₂. Hence, Ag could effectively improve the photochemical activity and SD-PDT effect of TiO₂ through the change in the energy band structure. Generally, Ag-doped TiO₂ is a promising photosensitizer agent for treating melanoma via SD-PDT.

Global Trends and Research Progress of Photodynamic Therapy in Skin Cancer: A Bibliometric Analysis and Literature Review

Background

Based on photochemical reactions through the combined use of light and photosensitizers, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is gaining popularity for the treatment of skin cancer. Various photosensitizers and treatment regimens are continuously being developed for enhancing the efficacy of PDT on skin cancer. Reviewing the development history of PDT on skin cancer, and summarizing its development direction and research status, is conducive to the further research.

Methods

To evaluate the research trends and map knowledge structure, all publications covering PDT on skin cancer were retrieved and extracted from Web of Science database. We applied VOSviewer and CiteSpace softwares to evaluate and visualize the countries, institutes, authors, keywords and research trends. Literature review was performed for the analysis of the research status of PDT on skin cancer.

Results

A total of 2662 publications were identified. The elements, mechanism, pros and cons, representative molecular photosensitizers, current challenges and research progress of PDT on skin cancer were reviewed and summarized.

Conclusion

This study provides a comprehensive display of the field of PDT on skin cancer, which will help researchers further explore the mechanism and application of PDT more effectively and intuitively.

Effective fluence and dose at skin depth of daylight and lamp sources for PpIX-based photodynamic therapy

SIGNIFICANCE

Skin-based photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used for the clinical treatment of actinic keratosis (AKs) and other skin lesions with continued expansion into the standard of care. Due to the spectral dependency of photosensitizer activation and skin optical fluence, there is a need for more accurate methods to estimate the delivered dose at depth from different PDT light sources and treatment regimens.

AIM

Develop radiometric methods for calculating photosensitizer-effective fluence and dose at depth and determine differences between red-lamp, blue-lamp, and daylight-based PDT treatments.

METHODS

Radiometric measurements of FDA-approved PDT lamp sources, outdoor daylight, and indoor daylight were performed for clinically relevant AK treatments. The protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) equivalent irradiance, fluence, and dose for each light source were calculated from the PpIX absorption spectrum and a 7-layer skin fluence model. The effective fluence and dose at depth was estimated by combining the spectral attenuation predicted at each wavelength and depth with the source fluence at each wavelength.

RESULTS

The red-lamp source had the highest illuminance (112,000 lumen/m²), but lowest PpIX-effective irradiance (9.6 W/m²), and highest effective fluence at depth (10.8 W/m² at 500 µm). In contrast, the blue light source had the lowest illuminance (2300 lumen/m²), but highest PpIX effective irradiance (37.0 W/m²), and ultimately the lowest effective fluence at depth (0.18 W/cm² at 500 µm). The daylight source had values of (outdoor | indoor) illuminance of (49,200 | 37,800 lumen/m²), effective irradiance of (19.2 | 10.7 W/m²), and effective fluence of (1.50 | 1.08 W/m² at 500 µm). The effective fluence and dose at depth facilitated the comparison of treatment regimens, for example, calculating an equivalent dose for a 2 hr indoor daylight treatment and a 10 min red-light treatment for the 300-1000 μm depth range.

CONCLUSIONS

The consideration of PpIX-effective fluence at varying depths is necessary to provide adequate comparisons of the delivered dose from PDT light sources. Methods for calculating radiometric fluence and delivered dose at depth were introduced, with open source MATLAB code, to help overcome the limitations of commonly used photometric and irradiance-based reporting.

A Thiosemicarbazone Derivative as a Booster in Photodynamic Therapy-A Way to Improve the Therapeutic Effect

Photodynamic therapy is one of the most patient friendly and promising anticancer therapies. The active ingredient is irradiated protoporphyrin IX, which is produced in the body that transfers energy to the oxygen-triggering phototoxic reaction. This effect could be enhanced by using iron chelators, which inhibit the final step of heme biosynthesis, thereby increasing the protoporphyrin IX concentration. In the presented work, we studied thiosemicarbazone derivative, which is a universal enhancer of the phototoxic effect. We examined several genes that are involved in the transport of the heme substrates and heme itself. The results indicate that despite an elevated level of ABCG2, which is responsible for the PpIX efflux, its concentration in a cell is sufficient to trigger a photodynamic reaction. This effect was not observed for 5-ALA alone. The analyzed cell lines differed in the scale of the effect and a correlation with the PpIX accumulation was observed. Additionally, an increased activation of the iron transporter MFNR1 was also detected, which indicated that the regulation of iron transport is essential in PDT.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy in women with high-risk HPV persistent infection after cervical conization

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in women with high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) persistent infection after cervical conization, including loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and cold knife conization (CKC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The clinicopathological and follow-up data of 76 women with hr-HPV persistent infection after cervical conization (54 cases with LEEP and 22 cases with CKC) were collected. All the women in this group met these criteria: postoperative pathological diagnosis of LEEP/CKC showed high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) with negative incisal margin, hr-HPV persistent infection after LEEP/CKC ≥ 1 year, colposcopy and histopathology showed no intraepithelial lesions before PDT, and 5-aminolaevulinic acid (5-ALA) as photosensitizer treating for 6 times with an interval of 7-10 days. The above patients were followed up 6 months and 12 months after PDT, and the follow-up contents included Roche Cobas HPV classification test, cytology, colposcopy, and pathological examinations. HPV negative conversion rate is an index to evaluate the efficacy of PDT. In addition, we also assessed the safety of PDT.

RESULTS

Six months after PDT, the overall HPV clearance rate was 59.21% (45/76). The HPV negative conversion rates in patients ≤ 50 years old group and > 50 years old group were 68.52% (37/54) and 36.36% (8/22), respectively (P=0.009). But there was no significant difference in HPV clearance rate between the HPV16/18 infection group and other hr-HPV infection group (P=0.3326). 12 months after PDT, 1 case underwent hysterectomy because of progression to HSIL, and 7 cases lost follow-up. The overall HPV clearance rate was 88.24% (60/68). The negative conversion rates of HPV16/18 and other hr-HPV infection groups were 76.00% (19/25) and 95.35% (41/43), respectively (P=0.0458). However, the HPV negative conversion rate was not correlated with the patient's age (P=0.2383). The adverse reactions after PDT were mild, mainly manifested as increased vaginal secretions or burning/tingling.

CONCLUSIONS

Photodynamic therapy could be an effective treatment for patients with hr-HPV persistent infection after cervical conization and it could promote the negative conversion of hr-HPV and prevent the recurrence progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) after LEEP/CKC.