Nanotechnology-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) harnesses light-activated photosensitisers to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and effect selective destruction of diseased tissue. Despite clinical successes, many photosensitisers suffer from poor water solubility, rapid clearance, limited tumour selectivity and suboptimal tissue penetration. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems have emerged to overcome these barriers by improving photosensitiser solubility, protecting cargo during circulation, enabling passive or active targeting and facilitating controlled release. A broad array of carriers has been explored, including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, dendrimers and nanoemulsions. Surface functionalisation with targeting ligands or stimuli-responsive components can enhance accumulation in tumours or infected sites, while magnetic or photothermal elements allow multimodal therapy. Such platforms can co-deliver photosensitisers alongside adjuvant agents—chemotherapeutics, immunomodulators or radiosensitisers—to exploit synergistic effects. Advances in formulation engineering have yielded nanosystems with narrow size distributions, high loading efficiencies and tunable pharmacokinetics. Preclinical studies demonstrate improved ROS generation, deeper tissue penetration under near-infrared light and potent immunogenic cell death, supporting translation towards more precise, efficacious and minimally invasive PDT across oncology, antimicrobial and dermatological indications.

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Nanotechnology-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Photodynamic Therapy publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems for photodynamic therapy across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Photodynamic therapy (PDT): A treatment modality in which a light-activated drug (photosensitiser) produces reactive oxygen species to destroy target cells or tissues.

Photosensitiser: A molecule that, upon absorption of specific light wavelengths, transfers energy to molecular oxygen to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species.

Solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN): A sub-micrometre colloidal carrier composed of solid lipid matrices used to encapsulate and protect hydrophobic drugs.

Nanoemulsion: A kinetically stable oil-in-water or water-in-oil dispersion with droplet sizes in the nanometre range, enhancing solubility of hydrophobic agents.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Highly reactive molecules derived from oxygen that can induce oxidative damage to cellular components.

Immunogenic cell death (ICD): A form of regulated cell death that stimulates an adaptive immune response through release of damage-associated molecular patterns.

References

1. The Potential of Photodynamic Therapy Using Solid Lipid Nanoparticles with Aluminum Phthalocyanine Chloride as a Nanocarrier for Modulating Immunogenic Cell Death in Murine Melanoma In Vitro. Pharmaceutics (2024).
2. Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus Using Nanoemulsion-Encapsulated Zinc Phthalocyanine. Microorganisms (2023).
3. Evaluation of a chloroaluminium phthalocyanine-loaded magnetic nanoemulsion as a drug delivery device to treat glioblastoma using hyperthermia and photodynamic therapy. RSC Advances (2017).