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Review
. 2022 Aug 10;27(16):5084.
doi: 10.3390/molecules27165084.

Photoactive Herbal Compounds: A Green Approach to Photodynamic Therapy

Cheruthazhakkat Sulaiman  1 , Blassan P George  2 , Indira Balachandran  1 , Heidi Abrahamse  2
Affiliations
Review

Photoactive Herbal Compounds: A Green Approach to Photodynamic Therapy

Cheruthazhakkat Sulaiman et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive, alternative, and promising treatment for various diseases, including cancer, actinic keratosis, Bowen's disease, macular degeneration, and atherosclerotic plaques. PDT involves three different components, photosensitizers (PS), molecular oxygen, and light. The photoactivation of administered PSs using a specific wavelength of light in the presence of molecular oxygen leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species that leads to tumour cell death. Photosensitizing potentials of many commercially available compounds have been reported earlier. However, the possibilities of PDT using herbal medicines, which contain many photosensitizing phytochemicals, are not much explored. Medicinal plants with complex phytochemical compound mixtures have the benefit over single compounds or molecules in the treatment of many diseases with the benefit of low or reduced toxic side effects. This review emphasizes the role of various herbal medicines either alone or in combination to enhance the therapeutic outcome of photodynamic therapy.

Keywords: herbal medicine; natural products; photodynamic therapy; photosensitizers; phytochemicals; plants.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Photodynamic therapeutic effect.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mechanism of photochemical reactions (Modified Jablonski diagram).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Photosensitizing compounds from medicinal plants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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