Enhancing photodynamic therapy of refractory solid cancers: combining second-generation photosensitizers with multi-targeted liposomal delivery

Publication date: Available online 11 May 2015 Source:Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews Author(s): Ruud Weijer , Mans Broekgaarden , Milan Kos , Remko van Vught , Erik A.J. Rauws , Eefjan Breukink , Thomas M.van Gulik , Gert Storm , Michal Heger Contemporary photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the last-line treatment of refractory cancers such as nasopharyngeal carcinomas, superficial recurrent urothelial carcinomas, and non-resectable extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas yields poor clinical outcomes and may be associated with adverse events. This is mainly attributable to three factors: (1) the currently employed photosensitizers exhibit suboptimal spectral properties, (2) the route of administration is associated with unfavorable photosensitizer pharmacokinetics, and (3) the upregulation of survival pathways in tumor cells may impede cell death after PDT. Consequently, there is a strong medical need to improve PDT of these recalcitrant cancers. An increase in PDT efficacy and reduction in clinical side-effects may be achieved by encapsulating second-generation photosensitizers into liposomes that selectively target to pharmacologically important tumor locations, namely tumor cells, tumor endothelium, and tumor interstitial spaces. In addition to addressing the drawbacks of clinically approved photosensitizers, this review addresses the most relevant pharmacological aspects that dictate clinical outcome, including photosensitizer biodi...
Source: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research