Issue 11, 2019

Hydrogels: soft matters in photomedicine

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a shining beacon in the realm of photomedicine, is a non-invasive technique that utilizes dye-based photosensitizers (PSs) in conjunction with light and oxygen to produce reactive oxygen species to combat malignant tissues and infectious microorganisms. Yet, for PDT to become a common, routine therapy, it is still necessary to overcome limitations such as photosensitizer solubility, long-term side effects (e.g., photosensitivity) and to develop safe, biocompatible and target-specific formulations. Polymer based drug delivery platforms are an effective strategy for the delivery of PSs for PDT applications. Among them, hydrogels and 3D polymer scaffolds with the ability to swell in aqueous media have been deeply investigated. Particularly, hydrogel-based formulations present real potential to fulfill all requirements of an ideal PDT platform by overcoming the solubility issues, while improving the selectivity and targeting drawbacks of the PSs alone. In this perspective, we summarize the use of hydrogels as carrier systems of PSs to enhance the effectiveness of PDT against infections and cancer. Their potential in environmental and biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering photoremediation and photochemistry, is also discussed.

Graphical abstract: Hydrogels: soft matters in photomedicine

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
14 mai 2019
Accepted
16 août 2019
First published
19 août 2019

Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2019,18, 2613-2656

Hydrogels: soft matters in photomedicine

B. Khurana, P. Gierlich, A. Meindl, L. C. Gomes-da-Silva and M. O. Senge, Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2019, 18, 2613 DOI: 10.1039/C9PP00221A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements