Exploring the Role of Phytochemicals as Potent Natural Photosensitizers in Photodynamic Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 1831-1844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giftson J. Senapathy ◽  
Blassan P. George ◽  
Heidi Abrahamse
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Photodynamic Therapy ◽  
Cancer Treatments ◽  
Cancer Cell Death ◽  
Clinical Investigations ◽  
Cell Death Signaling ◽  
Deadly Disease ◽  
Treatment Procedures ◽  
Apoptosis And Necrosis

Background: Cancer is still considered a deadly disease worldwide due to difficulties in diagnosis, painful treatment procedures, costly therapies, side effects, and cancer relapse. Cancer treatments using conventional methods like chemotherapy and radiotherapy were not convincing due to its post-treatment toxicity in the host. In Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), three individual non-toxic components including a photosensitizer, light source and oxygen cause damage to the cells and tissues when they are combined. Objective: In recent years, phytochemicals are being increasingly recognized as potent complementary drugs for cancer because of its natural availability, less toxicity and therapeutic efficiency in par with commercial drugs. Hence, the idea of using phytochemicals as natural photosensitizers in PDT resulted in a multiple pool of research studies with promising results in preclinical and clinical investigations. Methods: In this review, the potential of phytochemicals to act as natural photosensitizers for PDT, their mode of action, drawbacks, challenges and possible solutions are discussed in detail. Results: In PDT, natural photosensitizers, when used alone or in combination with other photosensitizers, induced cell death by apoptosis and necrosis, increased oxidative stress, altered cancer cell death signaling pathways, increased cytotoxicity and DNA damage in cancer cells. The pro-oxidant nature of certain antioxidant polyphenols, hormesis phenomenon, Warburg effect and DNA damaging potential plays a significant role in the photosensitizing mechanism of phytochemicals in PDT. Conclusion: This review explores the role of phytochemicals that can act as photosensitizers alone or in combination with PDT and its mechanism of action on different cancers.

p53 family members – important messengers in cell death signaling in photodynamic therapy of cancer?

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1390-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Acedo ◽  
Joanna Zawacka-Pankau
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Photodynamic Therapy ◽  
Tumor Suppressor ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cellular Stress ◽  
Family Members ◽  
P53 Family ◽  
Photodynamic Therapy Of Cancer ◽  
Cell Death Signaling

p53 is a powerful tumor suppressor and a critical sensor of cellular stress. This Perspective summarizes the role of p53 in response of cancer cells to photodynamic therapy – a field not fully explored yet.

Combination of photodynamic therapy with doxorubicin in osteosarcoma: Cell death and the role of oxidative stress

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. S141
Author(s):  
B. Serambeque ◽  
G. Brites ◽  
M. Laranjo ◽  
G. Chohfi de Miguel ◽  
A. Serra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Photodynamic Therapy ◽  
Osteosarcoma Cell

scholarly journals Remotely Activated Nanoparticles for Anticancer Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Racca ◽  
Valentina Cauda
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Therapeutic Effect ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Anticancer Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Agents ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Cancer Cell Death ◽  
Mechanical Waves ◽  
Active Interaction

AbstractCancer has nowadays become one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Conventional anticancer approaches are associated with different limitations. Therefore, innovative methodologies are being investigated, and several researchers propose the use of remotely activated nanoparticles to trigger cancer cell death. The idea is to conjugate two different components, i.e., an external physical input and nanoparticles. Both are given in a harmless dose that once combined together act synergistically to therapeutically treat the cell or tissue of interest, thus also limiting the negative outcomes for the surrounding tissues. Tuning both the properties of the nanomaterial and the involved triggering stimulus, it is possible furthermore to achieve not only a therapeutic effect, but also a powerful platform for imaging at the same time, obtaining a nano-theranostic application. In the present review, we highlight the role of nanoparticles as therapeutic or theranostic tools, thus excluding the cases where a molecular drug is activated. We thus present many examples where the highly cytotoxic power only derives from the active interaction between different physical inputs and nanoparticles. We perform a special focus on mechanical waves responding nanoparticles, in which remotely activated nanoparticles directly become therapeutic agents without the need of the administration of chemotherapeutics or sonosensitizing drugs.

scholarly journals On the Anti-Cancer Effect of Cold Atmospheric Plasma and the Possible Role of Catalase-Dependent Apoptotic Pathways

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2330
Author(s):  
Charlotta Bengtson ◽  
Annemie Bogaerts
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Apoptotic Cell ◽  
Atmospheric Plasma ◽  
Cold Atmospheric Plasma ◽  
Cancer Cell Death ◽  
Anti Cancer ◽  
Apoptotic Pathways ◽  
Cell Signaling Pathways

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a promising new agent for (selective) cancer treatment, but the underlying cause of the anti-cancer effect of CAP is not well understood yet. Among different theories and observations, one theory in particular has been postulated in great detail and consists of a very complex network of reactions that are claimed to account for the anti-cancer effect of CAP. Here, the key concept is a reactivation of two specific apoptotic cell signaling pathways through catalase inactivation caused by CAP. Thus, it is postulated that the anti-cancer effect of CAP is due to its ability to inactivate catalase, either directly or indirectly. A theoretical investigation of the proposed theory, especially the role of catalase inactivation, can contribute to the understanding of the underlying cause of the anti-cancer effect of CAP. In the present study, we develop a mathematical model to analyze the proposed catalase-dependent anti-cancer effect of CAP. Our results show that a catalase-dependent reactivation of the two apoptotic pathways of interest is unlikely to contribute to the observed anti-cancer effect of CAP. Thus, we believe that other theories of the underlying cause should be considered and evaluated to gain knowledge about the principles of CAP-induced cancer cell death.

Energy metabolism targeted drugs synergize with photodynamic therapy to potentiate breast cancer cell death

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1793-1803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolan Feng ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Pan Wang ◽  
Quanhong Liu ◽  
Xiaobing Wang
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Photodynamic Therapy ◽  
Energy Metabolism ◽  
Combination Therapy ◽  
Breast Cancer Cells ◽  
Ros Generation ◽  
Targeted Drugs ◽  
Cancer Cell Death ◽  
Dependent Cell

Glycolytic inhibitors can synergistically enhance the photosensitivity of breast cancer cells by triggering cellular mitochondria- and caspase-dependent cell apoptosis, which was induced by additional ROS generation in combination therapy.

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