Journal Article Review Epublish
PubMed: 40243613 DOI: 10.3390/ijms26072969
Fighting Cancer with Photodynamic Therapy and Nanotechnologies: Current Challenges and Future Directions.
Int J Mol Sci 26(7)
Authors: Laura Marinela Ailioaie, Constantin Ailioaie, Gerhard Litscher
Affiliations
- Department of Medical Physics, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, 11 Carol I Boulevard, 700506 Iasi, Romania.
- Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, SWISS TCM UNI, High-Tech Acupuncture and Digital Chinese Medicine, 5330 Bad Zurzach, Switzerland.
- President of the International Society for Medical Laser Applications (ISLA Transcontinental), German Vice President of the German-Chinese Research Foundation (DCFG) for TCM, Honorary President of the European Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies, Honorary Professor of China Beijing International Acupuncture Training Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Honorary President of the American Association of Laser Acupuncture Therapy (ASLAT), USA, Former Head of Two Research Units and the TCM Research Center at the Medical University of Graz, 8053 Graz, Austria.
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an innovative treatment that has recently been approved for clinical use and holds promise for cancer patients. It offers several benefits, such as low systemic toxicity, minimal invasiveness, and the ability to stimulate antitumor immune responses. For certain types of cancer, it has shown positive results with few side effects. However, PDT still faces some challenges, including limited light penetration into deeper tumor tissues, uneven distribution of the photosensitizer (PS) that can also affect healthy cells, and the difficulties posed by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME). In hypoxic conditions, PDT's effectiveness is reduced due to insufficient production of reactive oxygen species, which limits tumor destruction and can lead to relapse. This review highlights recent advances in photosensitizers and nanotechnologies that are being developed to improve PDT. It focuses on multifunctional nanoplatforms and nanoshuttles that have shown promise in preclinical studies, especially for treating solid tumors. One of the key areas of focus is the development of PSs that specifically target mitochondria to treat deep-seated malignant tumors. New mitochondria-targeting nano-PSs are designed with better water solubility and extended wavelength ranges, allowing them to target tumors more effectively, even in challenging, hypoxic environments. These advancements in PDT are opening new doors for cancer treatment, especially when combined with other therapeutic strategies. Moving forward, research should focus on optimizing PDT, creating more efficient drug delivery systems, and developing smarter PDT platforms. Ultimately, these efforts aim to make PDT a first-choice treatment option for cancer patients.
MeSH
Photochemotherapy, Nanoparticles, Neoplasms, Mitochondria, Photosensitizing Agents, Therapeutics, Tumor Hypoxia, Nanotechnology