Amphiphilic dendrons or Janus dendrimers self-assembling into nanoscale vesicles offer promising avenues for drug delivery. Triazine-carbosilane dendrons have shown great potential for the intracellular delivery of rose bengal, additionally enhancing its phototoxic activity through non-covalent interactions. Thus, understanding the complexation dynamics between dendrons and photosensitizers is crucial for the development of efficient drug carriers.
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August 2023
Due to its fluorescent properties and high yield of singlet oxygen, rose bengal (RB) is one of the most promising photosensitizers for cancer treatment. However, the negative charge of RB molecule may significantly hamper its intracellular delivery by passive diffusion through the cell membrane. Thus, specific membrane protein transporters may be needed.
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September 2022
Photodynamic therapy is one of the best alternatives to chemo-, radio- or surgical therapy, as it is noninvasive and causes no severe side effects. The mechanism of photodynamic therapy involves activation of the drug (photosensitizer) with light of appropriate wavelength, which combined with molecular oxygen, leads to production of reactive oxygen species. This starts a cascade of reactions leading to cell death.
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September 2022
Biomedical applications of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) may be limited by their toxicological effects. Although surface-modified AuNPs can induce apoptosis, less is known about whether they can induce other types of cell death. Pyroptosis, an inflammatory type of programmed cell death, can be induced in immune cells, especially macrophages, by bacterial endotoxins.
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