Application of Porphyrin nanomaterials in Photodynamic therapy

Abstract

Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases and many methods have been developed for cancer therapy. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an advanced modality for the treatment of malignant tumors as it is widely used for clinical cancer treatments. The principal of PDT is based on the selective internalization of a drug (photosensitizer) which upon irradiation with light generates reactive oxygen species that kill cancer cells. Various porphyrin nanomaterials and their precursors have promising applications in the fields of drug delivery and PDT in oncology due to their unique optical and photothermal properties. The recent developments of nanoporphyrins for their application in cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment through photodynamic therapy have been reviewed.