Some Natural Photosensitizers and Their Medicinal Properties for Use in Photodynamic Therapy

Despite significant advances in early diagnosis and treatment, cancer is one of the leading causes of death. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a therapy for the treatment of many diseases, including cancer. This therapy uses a combination of a photosensitizer (PS), light irradiation of appropriate lengt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-02, Vol.27 (4), p.1192
Main Authors: Kubrak, Tomasz Piotr, Kołodziej, Przemysław, Sawicki, Jan, Mazur, Anna, Koziorowska, Katarzyna, Aebisher, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthraquinones
Antitumor activity
Apoptosis
Autophagy
Biological Products - chemistry
Biological Products - therapeutic use
Cancer
Cancer therapies
Chemotherapy
curcumins
Disease
Electromagnetic absorption
Energy
Furanocoumarins
Humans
Irradiation
Light
Light irradiation
Natural products
Necrosis
Neoplasms - drug therapy
Photochemotherapy
Photodynamic therapy
photodynamic therapy (PDT)
Photosensitization
Photosensitizing Agents - chemistry
Photosensitizing Agents - therapeutic use
Polyacetylene
polyacetylenes
Radiation
Review
Side effects
Skin cancer
Thiophenes
tolyporphin
Toxicity
Tumor cells
Tumors
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Summary:Despite significant advances in early diagnosis and treatment, cancer is one of the leading causes of death. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a therapy for the treatment of many diseases, including cancer. This therapy uses a combination of a photosensitizer (PS), light irradiation of appropriate length and molecular oxygen. The photodynamic effect kills cancer cells through apoptosis, necrosis, or autophagy of tumor cells. PDT is a promising approach for eliminating various cancers but is not yet as widely applied in therapy as conventional chemotherapy. Currently, natural compounds with photosensitizing properties are being discovered and identified. A reduced toxicity to healthy tissues and a lower incidence of side effects inspires scientists to seek natural PS for PDT. In this review, several groups of compounds with photoactive properties are presented. The use of natural products has been shown to be a fruitful approach in the discovery of novel pharmaceuticals. This review focused on the anticancer activity of furanocoumarins, polyacetylenes, thiophenes, tolyporphins, curcumins, alkaloid and anthraquinones in relation to the light-absorbing properties. Attention will be paid to their phototoxic and anti-cancer effects on various types of cancer.
ISSN:1420-3049
1420-3049
DOI:10.3390/molecules27041192