title: Photodynamic therapy of age-related macular degeneration: History and principles.
abstract: We briefly review the history and principles of photodynamic therapy (PDT), especially as it is applied to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). After a brief general history of PDT, we discuss the relationship between the physicochemical structure and photodynamic activity of the second-generation photosensitizers, such as those in current clinical use. We then discuss the basic photophysics of photosensitizer molecules, and describe the initial chemical reactions induced by activated sensitizers. We outline a novel method for screening photosensitizers to be used in treating CNV, as well as the complex biomolecular pathways modulated by PDT-induced oxidative stress and the vascular effects of PDT in solid tumors. The paper closes with a discussion of how all this information might be used to improve the selectivity and efficacy of clinically useful photosensitizers.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland. hubert.vandenbergh@epfl.ch
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van den Bergh
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000266:history*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000266:history* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents