Departamento de Genética e Morfologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade de Brasília.
Braz J Med Biol Res. 2011 Aug;44(8):729-37. doi: 10.1590/s0100-879x2011007500091.
Photodynamic therapy is a well-established and clinically approved treatment for several types of cancer. Antineoplastic photodynamic therapy is based on photosensitizers, i.e., drugs that absorb photons translating light energy into a chemical potential that damages tumor tissues. Despite the encouraging clinical results with the approved photosensitizers available today, the prolonged skin phototoxicity, poor selectivity for diseased tissues, hydrophobic nature, and extended retention in the host organism shown by these drugs have stimulated researchers to develop new formulations for photodynamic therapy. In this context, due to their amphiphilic characteristic (compatibility with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances), liposomes have proven to be suitable carriers for photosensitizers, improving the photophysical properties of the photosensitizers. Moreover, as nanostructured drug delivery systems, liposomes improve the efficiency and safety of antineoplastic photodynamic therapy, mainly by the classical phenomenon of extended permeation and retention. Therefore, the association of photosensitizers with liposomes has been extensively studied. In this review, both current knowledge and future perspectives on liposomal carriers for antineoplastic photodynamic therapy are critically discussed.
光动力疗法是一种经过充分验证并在临床上得到认可的癌症治疗方法。光动力疗法的抗肿瘤作用基于光敏剂，即能够吸收光子的药物，将光能转化为化学势能，从而破坏肿瘤组织。尽管目前批准使用的光敏剂在临床上取得了令人鼓舞的效果，但这些药物表现出的皮肤光毒性持续时间长、对病变组织的选择性差、疏水性以及在宿主中的滞留时间延长等特点，促使研究人员开发新的光动力疗法制剂。在这种情况下，由于具有两亲性（与疏水性和亲水性物质兼容），脂质体已被证明是光敏剂的合适载体，可改善光敏剂的光物理性质。此外，作为纳米结构的药物递送系统，脂质体通过经典的延长渗透和滞留现象，提高了抗肿瘤光动力疗法的效率和安全性。因此，已经广泛研究了将光敏剂与脂质体结合。在这篇综述中，我们批判性地讨论了用于抗肿瘤光动力疗法的脂质体载体的现有知识和未来展望。
