Two in one: merging photoactivated chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy to fight cancer

• Published in: Chemical science (Cambridge) Vol. 15; no. 43; pp. 17760 - 17780
• Main Authors: Kuznetsov, Kirill M, Cariou, Kevin, Gasser, Gilles
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 15-10-2024; The Royal Society of Chemistry
• Subjects: Cancer; Chemical Sciences; Chemistry; Chemotherapy; Medicinal Chemistry; Oxygenation; Photodynamic therapy; Temporal resolution; Anticancer Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry Photoactivated Chemotherapy (PACT) Photocage Photodynamic Therapy (PDT); Photocage; Anticancer; Photoactivated Chemotherapy (PACT); Photodynamic Therapy (PDT); Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry
• ISSN: 2041-6520; 2041-6539
• DOI: 10.1039/d4sc04608k

The growing number of cancer cases requires the development of new approaches for treatment. A therapy that has attracted the special attention of scientists is photodynamic therapy (PDT) due to its spatial and temporal resolution. However, it is accepted that this treatment methodology has limited application in cases of low cellular oxygenation, which is typical of cancerous tissues. Therefore, a strategy to overcome this drawback has been to combine this therapy with photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT), which works independently of the presence of oxygen. In this perspective, we examine compounds that act as both PDT and PACT agents and summarize their photophysical and biological characteristics.