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International Journal of Nanomedicine 2022Photoactivation therapy based on photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) has been identified as a tumour ablation modality for numerous cancer... (Review)
Review
Photoactivation therapy based on photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) has been identified as a tumour ablation modality for numerous cancer indications, with photosensitisers and photothermal conversion agents playing important roles in the phototherapy process, especially in recent decades. In addition, the iteration of nanotechnology has strongly promoted the development of phototherapy in tumour treatment. PDT can increase the sensitivity of tumour cells to PTT by interfering with the tumour microenvironment, whereas the heat generated by PTT can increase blood flow, improve oxygen supply and enhance the PDT therapeutic effect. In addition, tumour cell debris generated by phototherapy can serve as tumour-associated antigens, evoking antitumor immune responses. In this review, the research progress of phototherapy, and its research effects in combination with immunotherapy on the treatment of tumours are mainly outlined, and issues that may need continued attention in the future are raised.
Topics: Humans; Photothermal Therapy; Photochemotherapy; Phototherapy; Neoplasms; Immunotherapy; Nanoparticles; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 36540374
DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S388996 -
Nature Reviews. Chemistry Nov 2021More than four decades have passed since the first example of a light-activated (caged) compound was described. In the intervening years, a large number of... (Review)
Review
More than four decades have passed since the first example of a light-activated (caged) compound was described. In the intervening years, a large number of light-responsive derivatives have been reported, several of which have found utility under a variety of in vitro conditions using cells and tissues. Light-triggered bioactivity furnishes spatial and temporal control, and offers the possibility of precision dosing and orthogonal communication with different biomolecules. These inherent attributes of light have been advocated as advantageous for the delivery and/or activation of drugs at diseased sites for a variety of indications. However, the tissue penetrance of light is profoundly wavelength-dependent. Only recently have phototherapeutics that are photoresponsive in the optical window of tissue (600-900 nm) been described. This Review highlights these recent discoveries, along with their limitations and clinical opportunities. In addition, we describe preliminary in vivo studies of prospective phototherapeutics, with an emphasis on the path that remains to be navigated in order to translate light-activated drugs into clinically useful therapeutics. Finally, the unique attributes of phototherapeutics is highlighted by discussing several potential disease applications.
Topics: Phototherapy
PubMed: 37117665
DOI: 10.1038/s41570-021-00326-w -
Technology in Cancer Research &... 2023Cancer disease has outgrown a life-threatening disease. Having reference to preceding reports provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an estimated... (Review)
Review
Cancer disease has outgrown a life-threatening disease. Having reference to preceding reports provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an estimated 9.6 million deaths transpired from cancer worldwide in 2018. Similarly, about 18.1 million new cases of cancer are being reported. The rise in conventional treatments akin to surgeries, chemotherapies, and radiotherapies was enormously observed to eradicate cancer tumors. These studies have shown unfavorable side effects in clinical treatments. Drug resistivity and drug cytotoxicities are also major issues to overcome. Considering these, researchers are developing alternative methods that are robust, economical, and safe. The use of light for therapeutic purposes shows a great history in vitiligo treatment. The combination of an effective activating agent and phototherapy could result as the best alternative with a great outcome to minimize adverse effects on healthy tissues. The utilization of light in the deletion of tumors using photothermal agents, and photosensitizers, hence the phototherapies in oncology were discovered and rapidly involved in the advancement of clinical approach. Here, in this article, we tried to highlight the recent trends in phototherapy and reviewed different types of phototherapy methods in cancer treatments and their latest clinical, preclinical, and in vivo studies.
Topics: Humans; Phototherapy; Neoplasms; Photosensitizing Agents
PubMed: 37132029
DOI: 10.1177/15330338231170939 -
Biomolecular Concepts May 2022The use of light for therapeutic purposes dates back to ancient Egypt, where the sun itself was an innovative source, probably used for the first time to heal skin...
The use of light for therapeutic purposes dates back to ancient Egypt, where the sun itself was an innovative source, probably used for the first time to heal skin diseases. Since then, technical innovation and advancement in medical sciences have produced newer and more sophisticated solutions for light-emitting sources and their applications in medicine. Starting from a brief historical introduction, the concept of innovation in light sources is discussed and analysed, first from a technical point of view and then in the light of their fitness to improve existing therapeutic protocols or propose new ones. If it is true that a "pure" technical advancement is a good reason for innovation, only a sub-system of those advancements is innovative for phototherapy. To illustrate this concept, the most representative examples of innovative light sources are presented and discussed, both from a technical point of view and from the perspective of their diffusion and applications in the clinical field.
Topics: Humans; Phototherapy; Skin Diseases
PubMed: 35607716
DOI: 10.1515/bmc-2022-0020 -
Theranostics 2016Currently, precision theranostics have been extensively demanded for the effective treatment of various human diseases. Currently, efficient therapy at the targeted... (Review)
Review
Currently, precision theranostics have been extensively demanded for the effective treatment of various human diseases. Currently, efficient therapy at the targeted disease areas still remains challenging since most available drug molecules lack of selectivity to the pathological sites. Among different approaches, light-mediated therapeutic strategy has recently emerged as a promising and powerful tool to precisely control the activation of therapeutic reagents and imaging probes and , mostly attributed to its unique properties including minimally invasive capability and highly spatiotemporal resolution. Although it has achieved initial success, the conventional strategies for light-mediated theranostics are mostly based on the light with short wavelength (e.g., UV or visible light), which may usually suffer from several undesired drawbacks, such as limited tissue penetration depth, unavoidable light absorption/scattering and potential phototoxicity to healthy tissues, etc. Therefore, a near-infrared (NIR) light-mediated approach on the basis of long-wavelength light (700-1000 nm) irradiation, which displays deep-tissue penetration, minimized photo-damage and low autofluoresence in living systems, has been proposed as an inspiring alternative for precisely phototherapeutic applications in the last decades. Despite numerous NIR light-responsive molecules have been currently proposed for clinical applications, several inherent drawbacks, such as troublesome synthetic procedures, low water solubility and limited accumulation abilities in targeted areas, heavily restrict their applications in deep-tissue therapeutic and imaging studies. Thanks to the amazing properties of several nanomaterials with large extinction coefficient in the NIR region, the construction of NIR light responsive nanoplatforms with multifunctions have become promising approaches for deep-seated diseases diagnosis and therapy. In this review, we summarized various light-triggered theranostic strategies and introduced their great advances in biomedical applications in recent years. Moreover, some other promising light-assisted techniques, such as photoacoustic and Cerenkov radiation, were also systemically discussed. Finally, the potential challenges and future perspectives for light-mediated deep-tissue diagnosis and therapeutics were proposed.
Topics: Humans; Infrared Rays; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Phototherapy; Theranostic Nanomedicine
PubMed: 27877246
DOI: 10.7150/thno.16088 -
British Journal of Cancer Sep 2020Oncological phototherapy, including current photodynamic therapy (PDT), developmental photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), shows promising...
Oncological phototherapy, including current photodynamic therapy (PDT), developmental photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), shows promising photo-efficacy for superficial and internal tumours. The dual application of light and photochemotherapeutic agents allows accurate cancer targeting, low invasiveness and novel mechanisms of action. Current advances in new light sources and photoactive agents are encouraging for future development.
Topics: Humans; Neoplasms; Photochemotherapy; Photosensitizing Agents; Phototherapy; Photothermal Therapy
PubMed: 32587359
DOI: 10.1038/s41416-020-0926-3 -
Indian Journal of Dermatology,... 2012Vitiligo is an ancient disease in which depigmented and hypopigmented macules appear on the skin. It is a disfiguring condition that may lead to severe psychological... (Review)
Review
Vitiligo is an ancient disease in which depigmented and hypopigmented macules appear on the skin. It is a disfiguring condition that may lead to severe psychological trauma. Among the many treatment modalities available for use in vitiligo, those using light therapy, and in particular ultraviolet (UV) light, are some of the most effective treatments. UV-based therapy includes phototherapy (narrowband UVB), photochemotherapy (psoralens with UVA), and targeted phototherapy (excimer laser and excimer lamp). It is important for any practitioner of UV-based therapy to understand the efficacy of each treatment type, as well as their respective adverse effects. In order to take full advantage of UV-based therapy, location, dosing, and photoadaptation must also be taken into account. This review discusses the various UV-based therapeutic options, adjuvant therapies, optimal dosing guidelines, appropriate patient selection, future treatment options, and recommendations based upon the current evidence and the authors' experience with vitiligo.
Topics: Combined Modality Therapy; Humans; Photochemotherapy; Phototherapy; Ultraviolet Therapy; Vitiligo
PubMed: 22199059
DOI: 10.4103/0378-6323.90945 -
International Journal of Cancer Oct 2019We sought to determine if neonatal phototherapy is associated with a greater risk of childhood cancer. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 786,998 infants born...
We sought to determine if neonatal phototherapy is associated with a greater risk of childhood cancer. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 786,998 infants born in hospitals of Quebec, Canada between 2006 and 2016, with 4,660,868 person-years of follow-up over an 11-year period. The exposures were neonatal phototherapy (32,314 or 4.1% of infants) and untreated jaundice (91,855 or 11.7% of infants). The outcome was hospitalization for solid or hematopoietic childhood tumours between 2 months and 11 years of age. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to compute hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of phototherapy with childhood cancer, adjusted for infant characteristics. The incidence of childhood cancer was higher for infants with phototherapy (25.1 per 100,000 person-years) and untreated jaundice (23.0 per 100,000) compared to unexposed infants (21.6 per 100,000). Phototherapy appeared to be associated with late onset solid tumours, including brain/central nervous system cancers. Between age 4 and 11 years, children who received neonatal phototherapy had more than 2 times the risk of any solid tumour compared to unexposed children (HR 2.26, 95% CI 1.34-3.81). Results were similar for phototherapy compared against untreated jaundice. A similar trend was however less apparent for hematopoietic cancer. We conclude that neonatal phototherapy may be associated with a slightly increased risk of solid tumours in childhood, but cannot rule out an effect of bilirubin. Minimizing unnecessary exposure to phototherapy through adherence to recommended thresholds for treatment is encouraged.
Topics: Canada; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Jaundice; Male; Neoplasms; Phototherapy; Proportional Hazards Models; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 30684392
DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32158 -
Recent Patents on Anti-infective Drug... 2018Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious health threats to modern medicine. The lack of potent antibiotics puts us at a disadvantage in the fight against... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious health threats to modern medicine. The lack of potent antibiotics puts us at a disadvantage in the fight against infectious diseases, especially those caused by antibiotic-resistant microbial strains. To this end, an urgent need to search for alternative antimicrobial approaches has arisen. In the last decade, light-based anti-infective therapy has made significant strides in this fight to combat antibiotic resistance among various microbial strains. This method includes utilizing antimicrobial blue light, antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, and germicidal ultraviolet irradiation, among others. Light-based therapy is advantageous over traditional antibiotics in that it eradicates microbial cells rapidly and the likelihood of light-resistance development by microbes is low.
METHODS
This review highlights the patents on light-based therapy that were filed approximately within the last decade and are dedicated to eradicating pathogenic microorganisms. The primary database that was used for the search was Google Patents. The searches were performed using the keywords including blue light, antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, ultraviolet irradiation, antibiotic resistance, disinfection, bacterium, fungus, and virus.
RESULTS
Forty-five patents were obtained in our search: 9 patents for the antimicrobial blue light approach, 21 for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, 11 for UV irradiation, and lastly 4 for other light-based anti-infective approaches. The treatments and devices discussed in this review are interestingly enough able to be used in various different functions and settings, such as dental applications, certain eye diseases, skin and hard surface cleansing, decontamination of internal organs (e.g., the stomach), decontamination of apparel and equipment, eradication of pathogenic microorganisms from buildings and rooms, etc. Most of the devices and inventions introduce methods of destroying pathogenic bacteria and fungi without harming human cells and tissues.
CONCLUSIONS
Light-based antimicrobial approaches hold great promise for the future in regards to treating antibiotic-resistant infections and related diseases.
Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Humans; Patents as Topic; Photochemotherapy; Phototherapy; Ultraviolet Therapy
PubMed: 29119936
DOI: 10.2174/1872213X11666171108104104 -
European Review For Medical and... Jul 2020Vitiligo is a chronic acquired pigmentary skin disorder characterized by well-defined asymptomatic white macule as a result of loss of functional melanocytes in the... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Vitiligo is a chronic acquired pigmentary skin disorder characterized by well-defined asymptomatic white macule as a result of loss of functional melanocytes in the epidermis. The psychological burden experienced by patients is of great interest and consequently research of the best medical approach is constantly developing. This review focuses on surgical approach and the combination of surgery and phototherapy. In addition, reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) could be useful to discriminate between stable or active vitiligo and to evaluate efficacy of therapy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We searched PubMed with the following keywords: (vitiligo[Title/Abstract]) AND therapy[Title/Abstract]) AND surgery[Title/Abstract]) AND phototherapy[Title/Abstract]) AND reflectance confocal microscopy[Title/Abstract]).
RESULTS
To date, surgery is an effective therapeutic approach in stable vitiligo. Phototherapy, which is the most effective medical option, can improve the results obtained with surgery if performed in combination. Preliminary data show that RCM help physician in evaluating stability of vitiligo and is also useful to monitor clinical response.
CONCLUSIONS
Vitiligo is a psychosocially debilitating disease requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Even if a standard management could not be stated, combination of surgery and phototherapy in stable vitiligo could lead to great improvement than monotherapy. RCM is a modern tool which should be used in order to perform surgery and phototherapy properly and to subsequently evaluate efficacy on a microscopic level.
Topics: Combined Modality Therapy; Humans; Microscopy, Confocal; Phototherapy; Predictive Value of Tests; Skin; Skin Pigmentation; Skin Transplantation; Treatment Outcome; Ultraviolet Therapy; Vitiligo
PubMed: 32706075
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202007_21904