title: Enhancing the efficacy of cytotoxic agents for cancer therapy using photochemical internalisation.
abstract: Photochemical internalisation (PCI) is a technique for improving cellular delivery of certain bioactive agents which are prone to sequestration within endolysosomes. There is a wide range of agents suitable for PCI-based delivery including toxins, oligonucleotides, genes and immunoconjugates which demonstrates the versatility of this technique. The basic mechanism of PCI involves triggering release of the agent from endolysosomes within the target cells using a photosensitiser which is selectively retained with the endolysosomal membranes. Excitation of the photosensitiser by visible light leads to disruption of the membranes via photooxidative damage thereby releasing the agent into the cytosol. This treatment enables the drugs to reach their intended subcellular target more efficiently and improves their efficacy. In this review we summarise the applications of this technique with the main emphasis placed on cancer chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez de Pinillos Bayona
authors.affiliation: UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Caroline M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Marilena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loizidou
authors.affiliation: UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: MacRobert
authors.affiliation: UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Josephine H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Woodhams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004337:Drug Carriers; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D054788:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D003603:Cytotoxins; D004337:Drug Carriers; D006020:Glycopeptides; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D054788:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins
keywords: chemotherapy; drug delivery system; drug resistance; photochemical internalisation; photodynamic therapy