Issue 30, 2024

Unveiling the potential of photodynamic therapy with nanocarriers as a compelling therapeutic approach for skin cancer treatment: current explorations and insights

Abstract

Skin carcinoma is one of the most prevalent types of carcinomas. Due to high incidence of side effects in conventional therapies (radiotherapy and chemotherapy), photodynamic therapy (PDT) has gained huge attention as an alternate treatment strategy. PDT involves the administration of photosensitizers (PS) to carcinoma cells which produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) on irradiation by specific wavelengths of light that result in cancer cells' death via apoptosis, autophagy, or necrosis. Topical delivery of PS to the skin cancer cells at the required concentration is a challenge due to the compounds' innate physicochemical characteristics. Nanocarriers have been observed to improve skin permeability and enhance the therapeutic efficiency of PDT. Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), metallic NPs, and lipid nanocarriers have been reported to carry PS successfully with minimal side effects and high effectiveness in both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Advanced carriers such as quantum dots, microneedles, and cubosomes have also been addressed with reported studies to show their scope of use in PDT-assisted skin cancer treatment. In this review, nanocarrier-aided PDT in skin cancer therapies has been discussed with clinical trials and patents. Additionally, novel nanocarriers that are being investigated in PDT are also covered with their future prospects in skin carcinoma treatment.

Graphical abstract: Unveiling the potential of photodynamic therapy with nanocarriers as a compelling therapeutic approach for skin cancer treatment: current explorations and insights

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
05 apr 2024
Accepted
02 jul 2024
First published
10 jul 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2024,14, 21915-21937

Unveiling the potential of photodynamic therapy with nanocarriers as a compelling therapeutic approach for skin cancer treatment: current explorations and insights

S. Mohanty, V. M. Desai, R. Jain, M. Agrawal, S. K. Dubey and G. Singhvi, RSC Adv., 2024, 14, 21915 DOI: 10.1039/D4RA02564D

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