Title:Photosensitizers Mediated Photodynamic Inactivation Against Virus Particles
Volume: 15
Issue: 6
Author(s): Lukasz Sobotta, Paulina Skupin-Mrugalska, Jadwiga Mielcarek, Tomasz Goslinski and Jan Balzarini
Affiliation:
Keywords:
5-aminolevulinic acid, human blood products, methylene blue, photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT),
photosensitizer, virus.
Abstract: Viruses cause many diseases in humans from the rather innocent common
cold to more serious or chronic, life-threatening infections. The long-term sideeffects,
sometimes low effectiveness of standard pharmacotherapy and the emergence
of drug resistance require a search for new alternative or complementary antiviral
therapeutic approaches. One new approach to inactivate microorganisms is photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy
(PACT). PACT has evolved as a potential method to inactivate viruses. The great challenge for PACT is to develop a
methodology enabling the effective inactivation of viruses while leaving the host cells as untouched as possible. This
review aims to provide some main directions of antiviral PACT, taking into account different photosensitizers, which
have been widely investigated as potential antiviral agents. In addition, several aspects concerning PACT as a tool to
assure viral inactivation in human blood products will be addressed.
