Photodynamic Therapy for the Treatment of Fungal Infections

Abstract

Cutaneous fungal infections are common in humans and are associated with significant physical and psychological distress to patients. Although conventional topical and/or oral anti-fungal medications are commonly recommended treatments, drug resistance has emerged as a significant concern in this patient population, and safer, more efficacious, and cost-effective alternatives are warranted. Recent studies have reported effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT) against fungal infections without severe adverse effects. In this review, we briefly discuss the mechanisms underlying PDT, current progress, adverse effects, and limitations of this treatment in the management of superficial and deep fungal infections.

Multiphotonic Ablation and Electro-Capacitive Effects Exhibited by Candida albicans Biofilms

“…The interaction of resistive, capacitive, and inductive effects inside the sample is responsible for this behavior, which leads to conserving energy and redistribution events. Figure 3b describes the optical absorbance that specifically allows us to predict the photoinduced behavior of C. albicans under optical irradiation at the wavelength selected for the ablation process, as has been suggested for fungal treatments [50].…”

Cutaneous Alternariosis in Immunosuppressed Patients Treated with Photodynamic Therapy and Oral Antifungals, a Synergistic Strategy

“…PDT has been shown to be effective in different types of infections including bacterial infections [ 9 ], fungal infections [ 11 , 14 ], multi-resistant mycobacteria, or other pathogens [ 10 , 15 ]. The antimicrobial efficacy of PDT has been extensively explored through numerous in vitro studies since the 1990s, and unlike traditional antibiotics, PDT’s diverse cellular targets make resistance development less likely [ 16 ].…”

Photomodulation Approaches to Overcome Antimicrobial Resistance

“…Internalized ciprofloxacin inhibits DNA gyrase. (b) Structures of ciprofloxacin, photocaged ciprofloxacin (28), dendrimers conjugated with ONB-ciprofloxacin and cell wall targeting ligand-EA (29), or PMB (30). Adapted with permission from [79].…”

“…It is believed that the production of ROS through the type II reaction is predominant in PDT. This photodynamic approach was also used with great success on the photoinactivation of microorganisms and demonstrates great advantages when compared with the conventional antimicrobial agents, namely (i) the non-induction of resistance mechanisms of the microbial cells and (ii) either resistant and sensitive strains are responsive to the photodynamic treatment and (iii) can be applied to inactivate a range of microbial entities (bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, parasites [ 11 , 12 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], among others). The versatility of PDT is not limited to clinical applications [ 23 , 30 ].…”