title: Nanocomposite-Based Photodynamic Therapy Strategies for Deep Tumor Treatment.
abstract: Photodynamic therapy (PDT), as an emerging clinically approved modality, has been used for treatment of various cancer diseases. Conventional PDT strategies are mainly focused on superficial lesions because the wavelength of illumination light of most clinically approved photosensitizers (PSs) is located in the UV/VIS range that possesses limited tissue penetration ability, leading to ineffective therapeutic response for deep-seated tumors. The combination of PDT and nanotechnology is becoming a promising approach to fight against deep tumors. Here, the rapid development of new PDT modalities based on various smartly designed nanocomposites integrating with conventionally used PSs for deep tumor treatments is introduced. Until now many types of multifunctional nanoparticles have been studied, and according to the source of excitation energy they can be classified into three major groups: near infrared (NIR) light excited nanomaterials, X-ray excited scintillating/afterglow nanoparticles, and internal light emission excited nanocarriers. The in vitro and in vivo applications of these newly developed PDT modalities are further summarized here, which highlights their potential use as promising nano-agents for deep tumor therapy.
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yong'an
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China.|Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Misr University for Science and Technology, Al-Motamayez District, 6th of October City, P.O. Box: 77, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ahmed H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Elmenoufy
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Huibi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology and Bio-X Program, School of Medicine, Stanford University Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiangliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents
keywords: deep-seated tumors; nanocomposites; photodynamic therapy