title: Self-assembled liposomal nanoparticles in photodynamic therapy.
abstract: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) employs the combination of non-toxic photosensitizers (PS) together with harmless visible light of the appropriate wavelength to produce reactive oxygen species that kill unwanted cells. Because many PS are hydrophobic molecules prone to aggregation, numerous drug delivery vehicles have been tested to solubilize these molecules, render them biocompatible and enhance the ease of administration after intravenous injection. The recent rise in nanotechnology has markedly expanded the range of these nanoparticulate delivery vehicles beyond the well-established liposomes and micelles. Self-assembled nanoparticles are formed by judicious choice of monomer building blocks that spontaneously form a well-oriented 3-dimensional structure that incorporates the PS when subjected to the appropriate conditions. This self-assembly process is governed by a subtle interplay of forces on the molecular level. This review will cover the state of the art in the preparation and use of self-assembled liposomal nanoparticles within the context of PDT.
authors.affiliation: Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Magesh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadasivam
authors.affiliation: Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; and Department of Dermatology, Dermatooncology and Venerology, Semmelweis University School of Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Pinar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Avci
authors.affiliation: Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; and Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Gaurav K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Shanmugamurthy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lakshmanan
authors.affiliation: Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Rakkiyappan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chandran
authors.affiliation: Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; and Pathology Department, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
authors.forename: Ying-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; and Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; and Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Hamblin
keywords: liposomes; nanoparticles; nanotechnology; photodynamic therapy; self-assembly