title: Cell death and growth arrest in response to photodynamic therapy with membrane-bound photosensitizers.
abstract: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment for cancer and for certain benign conditions that is based on the use of a photosensitizer and light to produce reactive oxygen species in cells. Many of the photosensitizers currently used in PDT localize in different cell compartments such as mitochondria, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum and generate cell death by triggering necrosis and/or apoptosis. Efficient cell death is observed when light, oxygen and the photosensitizer are not limiting ("high dose PDT"). When one of these components is limiting ("low dose PDT"), most of the cells do not immediately undergo apoptosis or necrosis but are growth arrested with several transduction pathways activated. This commentary will review the mechanism of apoptosis and growth arrest mediated by two important PDT agents, i.e. pyropheophorbide and hypericin.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Virology & Immunology, Institute of Pathology B23, University of Liège, B-4000 Liege, Belgium. jpiette@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piette
authors.forename: Cédric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Volanti
authors.forename: Annelies
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vantieghem
authors.forename: Jean-Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Matroule
authors.forename: Yvette
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Habraken
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Agostinis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000873:Anthracenes; D017209:Apoptosis; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D010569:Perylene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000873:Anthracenes; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D010569:Perylene; C004965:hypericin