Recent strategies to improve boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) for photodynamic cancer therapy: an updated review.

BODIPYs are photosensitizers activatable by light to generate highly reactive singlet oxygen (O) from molecular oxygen, leading to tissue damage in the photoirradiated region. Despite their extraordinary photophysical characteristics, they are not featured in clinical photodynamic therapy. This review discusses the recent advances in the design and/or modifications of BODIPYs since 2013, to improve their potential in photodynamic cancer therapy and related areas.

Cyclodextrin- and dendrimer-conjugated graphene oxide as a nanocarrier for the delivery of selected chemotherapeutic and photosensitizing agents.

In this study, nanohybrid materials consisting of graphene oxide (GO), β‑cyclodextrin (CD) and poly(amido amine) dendrimer (DEN) were successfully prepared by covalent bonding. GO-CD and GO-CD-DEN were found to be potential nanocarriers for anticancer drugs including chemotherapeutics (doxorubicin (DOX), camptothecin (CPT)) and photosensitizer (protoporphyrin IX (PpIX)). GO-CD possessed 1.

Size-dependent effect of cystine/citric acid-capped confeito-like gold nanoparticles on cellular uptake and photothermal cancer therapy.

Physiochemical changes, including size, are known to affect gold nanoparticle cellular internalization and treatment efficacy. Here, we report the effect of four sizes of cystine/citric acid-coated confeito-like gold nanoparticles (confeito-AuNPs) (30, 60, 80 and 100nm) on cellular uptake, intracellular localization and photothermal anticancer treatment efficiency in MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells. Cellular uptake is size dependent with the smallest size of confeito-AuNPs (30nm) having the highest cellular internalization via clathrin- and caveolae-mediated endocytosis.

Doxorubicin-loaded micelles of amphiphilic diblock copolymer with pendant dendron improve antitumor efficacy: In vitro and in vivo studies.

Previously reported amphiphilic diblock copolymer with pendant dendron moieties (PD) has been further evaluated in tumor-bearing mice as a potential drug carrier. This PD-based micelle of an average diameter of 100nm was found to be biocompatible, non-toxic and physically stable in colloidal system up to 15days. It enhanced the in vitro potency of doxorubicin (DOX) in 4T1 breast tumor cells by increasing its uptake, by 3-fold, compared to free DOX.

Near-infrared activatable phthalocyanine-poly-L-glutamic acid conjugate: increased cellular uptake and light-dark toxicity ratio toward an effective photodynamic cancer therapy.

In photodynamic therapy (PDT), the low absorptivity of photosensitizers in an aqueous environment reduces singlet oxygen generation efficiency and thereby decreases photosensitizing efficacy in biological conditions. To circumvent this problem, we designed a phthalocyanine-poly-L-glutamic acid conjugate (1-PG) made from a new phthalocyanine (Pc 1) monofunctionalized to allow adequate conjugation to PGA. The resulting 1-PG conjugate retained high absorptivity in the near-infrared (NIR) region at its λ 675nm in an aqueous environment.

Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase C Targeted Delivery of a Peptidomimetic Ligand-Photosensitizer Conjugate Induces Antitumor Immune Responses Following Photodynamic Therapy.

Tropomyosin receptor kinase C (TrkC) targeted ligand-photosensitizer construct, IYIY-diiodo-boron-dipyrromethene (IYIY-I-BODIPY) and its scrambled counterpart YIYI-I-BODIPY have been prepared. IYIY-I-BODIPY binds TrkC similar to neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and NT-3 has been reported to modulate immune responses. Moreover, it could be shown that photodynamic therapy (PDT) elevates antitumor immune responses.

Chitosan-Coated Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-Diiodinated boron-Dipyrromethene Nanoparticles Improve Tumor Selectivity and Stealth Properties in Photodynamic Cancer Therapy.

Their limited solubility and lack of tumor selectivity limit the clinical usefulness of photosensitizers. Various nanostructures have been evaluated as delivery agents for photosensitizers in an attempt to overcome these obstacles, but these have typically been limited by premature clearance by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) and non-specific interactions with normal cells that result from their hydrophobic surfaces. In this study, we report our attempt to circumvent these problems by applying a low molecular weight chitosan (25 kDa) coating to a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-diiodinated boron dipyrromethene (PLGA-I2BODIPY) nanoparticle-photosensitizer construct.

A Comparative Study of Cellular Uptake and Subcellular Localization of Doxorubicin Loaded in Self-Assemblies of Amphiphilic Copolymers with Pendant Dendron by MDA-MB-231 Human Breast Cancer Cells.

Previously synthesized amphiphilic diblock copolymers with pendant dendron moieties have been investigated for their potential use as drug carriers to improve the delivery of an anticancer drug to human breast cancer cells. Diblock copolymer (P71 D3 )-based micelles effectively encapsulate the doxorubicin (DOX) with a high drug-loading capacity (≈95%, 104 DOX molecules per micelle), which is approximately double the amount of drug loaded into the diblock copolymer (P296 D1 ) vesicles. DOX released from the resultant P71 D3 /DOX micelles is approximately 1.

In vivo studies of nanostructure-based photosensitizers for photodynamic cancer therapy.

Animal models, particularly rodents, are major translational models for evaluating novel anticancer therapeutics. In this review, different types of nanostructure-based photosensitizers that have advanced into the in vivo evaluation stage for the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer are described. This article focuses on the in vivo efficacies of the nanostructures as delivery agents and as energy transducers for photosensitizers in animal models.