Recent advances in two-photon photodynamic therapy

Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2008 Apr;8(3):269-79. doi: 10.2174/187152008783961860.

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment for tumors and accepted in several countries in the world. Introduction of two-photon absortion (2PA) into PDT allows spatially selective treatment of cancers. Possibilities and limitations of the use of two-photon excitation in PDT are discussed, and many literatures in this area are reviewed. The conclusions are that 2PA-PDT has an advantage for higher selectivity than one-photon absorption PDT, and femtosecond pulsed laser is more suitable for 2PA-PDT than pico- and nanosecond pulses. However, most of photosensitizers used in the past studies had low 2PA cross section values less than 50 GM, and resulted in a low PDT efficiency under two-photon irradiation conditions. To realize 2PA-PDT, much larger 2PA cross sections must be required.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Laser Therapy
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Photochemotherapy / instrumentation
  • Photochemotherapy / trends*
  • Photons