Lim Dong-Jin
Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-0012, USA.
Polymers (Basel). 2021 Nov 16;13(22):3955. doi: 10.3390/polym13223955.
Methylene blue (MB) has been used in the textile industry since it was first extracted by the German chemist Heinrich Caro. Its pharmacological properties have also been applied toward the treatment of certain diseases such as methemoglobinemia, ifosfamide-induced encephalopathy, and thyroid conditions requiring surgery. Recently, the utilization of MB as a safe photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy (PDT) has received attention. Recent findings demonstrate that photoactivated MB exhibits not only anticancer activity but also antibacterial activity both in vitro and . However, due to the hydrophilic nature of MB, it is difficult to create MB-embedded nano- or microparticles capable of increasing the clinical efficacy of the PDT. This review aims to summarize fabrication techniques for MB-embedded nano and microparticles and to provide both in vitro and in vivo examples of MB-mediated PDT, thereby offering a future perspective on improving this promising clinical treatment modality. We also address examples of MB-mediated PDT in both cancer and infection treatments. Both in-vitro and in-vivo studies are summarized here to document recent trends in utilizing MB as an effective photosensitizer in PDT. Lastly, we discuss how developing efficient MB-carrying nano- and microparticle platforms would be able to increase the benefits of PDT.
自德国化学家海因里希·卡罗首次提取亚甲蓝（MB）以来，它一直在纺织工业中使用。其药理特性也已应用于某些疾病的治疗，如高铁血红蛋白血症、异环磷酰胺诱导的脑病以及需要手术的甲状腺疾病。最近，MB作为光动力疗法（PDT）中一种安全的光敏剂的应用受到了关注。最近的研究结果表明，光活化的MB不仅在体外而且在体内都表现出抗癌活性和抗菌活性。然而，由于MB的亲水性，很难制备出能够提高PDT临床疗效的包埋MB的纳米或微粒。本综述旨在总结包埋MB的纳米和微粒的制备技术，并提供MB介导的PDT的体外和体内实例，从而为改进这种有前景的临床治疗方式提供未来展望。我们还介绍了MB介导的PDT在癌症和感染治疗中的实例。这里总结了体外和体内研究，以记录利用MB作为PDT中有效光敏剂的最新趋势。最后，我们讨论了开发高效的载MB纳米和微粒平台如何能够增加PDT的益处。
