{"title":"The dual role of photodynamic therapy to treat cancer and microbial infection","authors":"Farheen Akhtar, Lama Misba, Asad U Khan","doi":"10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104099","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive treatment showing promise against cancer and microbial infections. PDT targets tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue, reducing side effects. It induces immunogenic cell death, potentially stimulating antitumor immune responses and reducing cancer recurrence. In microbial treatment, PDT effectively combats bacteria, fungi and viruses. Combining PDT with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy enhances its efficacy. However, challenges such as tumor hypoxia, limited tissue penetration and phototoxicity necessitate ongoing research efforts to optimize PDT protocols and overcome limitations. Overall, PDT is versatile and continually advancing with refined protocols to improve its clinical utility against cancer and microbial infections.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":301,"journal":{"name":"Drug Discovery Today","volume":"29 8","pages":"Article 104099"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Drug Discovery Today","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359644624002241","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PHARMACOLOGY & PHARMACY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive treatment showing promise against cancer and microbial infections. PDT targets tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue, reducing side effects. It induces immunogenic cell death, potentially stimulating antitumor immune responses and reducing cancer recurrence. In microbial treatment, PDT effectively combats bacteria, fungi and viruses. Combining PDT with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy enhances its efficacy. However, challenges such as tumor hypoxia, limited tissue penetration and phototoxicity necessitate ongoing research efforts to optimize PDT protocols and overcome limitations. Overall, PDT is versatile and continually advancing with refined protocols to improve its clinical utility against cancer and microbial infections.
期刊介绍:
Drug Discovery Today delivers informed and highly current reviews for the discovery community. The magazine addresses not only the rapid scientific developments in drug discovery associated technologies but also the management, commercial and regulatory issues that increasingly play a part in how R&D is planned, structured and executed.
Features include comment by international experts, news and analysis of important developments, reviews of key scientific and strategic issues, overviews of recent progress in specific therapeutic areas and conference reports.