Park Jongho, Zhang Jingzong, Kim Beomjoon
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-Ku, 153-8505, Tokyo, Japan.
Department of Precision Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo City, 113-8656, Tokyo, Japan.
Biomed Microdevices. 2025 Jan 28;27(1):6. doi: 10.1007/s10544-025-00735-4.
Recently, photodynamic therapy (PDT) which involves a photosensitizer (PS), a special drug activated by light, and light irradiation has been widely used in treating various skin diseases such as port-wine stain as well as cancers such as melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. PDT comprises two general steps: the introduction of PS into the body or a specific spot to be treated, and the irradiation process using a light source with a specific wavelength to excite the PS. Although PDT is gaining great attention owing to its potential as a targeted approach in the treatment of skin cancers, several limitations still exist for practical use. One of the biggest challenges is the limited penetration of light owing to scattering, reflection, and absorption of light inside the skin layers. In addition, accidental light exposure of the target area causes additional cellular damage, which causes unexpected complications. To solve these issues, we introduced an optical microneedle-lens array (OMLA) to improve the efficiency and safety of PDT treatment. We designed and fabricated a novel optical microneedle-lens array with controlled dimensions to optimize light transmission. In addition, PS was coated uniformly over the tips of the OMLA using the dip coating method. Finally, we confirmed that the PS coated on the OMLA was released into the target area and subsequently generated radical oxygen by light irradiation. We expect that our proposed OMLA for PDT treatment can realize a new light-transmission platform optimized for PDT with targeting various types of skin cancers.
最近，光动力疗法（PDT），即涉及一种光敏剂（PS）、一种由光激活的特殊药物以及光照射，已被广泛用于治疗各种皮肤疾病，如葡萄酒色斑，以及癌症，如黑色素瘤和非黑色素瘤皮肤癌。光动力疗法包括两个一般步骤：将光敏剂引入体内或待治疗的特定部位，以及使用特定波长的光源进行照射过程以激发光敏剂。尽管光动力疗法因其作为皮肤癌治疗的靶向方法的潜力而备受关注，但在实际应用中仍存在一些局限性。最大的挑战之一是由于皮肤层内光的散射、反射和吸收导致光的穿透有限。此外，目标区域的意外光照会导致额外的细胞损伤，从而引发意想不到的并发症。为了解决这些问题，我们引入了一种光学微针透镜阵列（OMLA）以提高光动力疗法治疗的效率和安全性。我们设计并制造了一种尺寸可控的新型光学微针透镜阵列，以优化光传输。此外，使用浸涂法将光敏剂均匀地涂覆在光学微针透镜阵列的尖端上。最后，我们证实涂覆在光学微针透镜阵列上的光敏剂被释放到目标区域，随后通过光照射产生活性氧。我们期望我们提出的用于光动力疗法治疗的光学微针透镜阵列能够实现一种针对光动力疗法优化的新的光传输平台，用于靶向治疗各种类型的皮肤癌。
