Photodynamic Therapy (3rd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

Dedicating a volume to photodynamic therapy is of great significance because it signifies that many steps are being taken to understand the importance of such therapy. In 1903, Von Tappeiner, Director of the Pharmacology Department of the University of Munich, in collaboration with his student, Oscar Raab, demonstrated the therapeutic action of light combined with a photosensitizer and oxygen and coined the term "photodynamic action". Since that time, many studies have experimentally verified the veracity of its effectiveness in different biological structures. In medicine, the use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) is now widely documented and well codified for the treatment of oncological and non-oncological diseases such as macular degeneration of the retina and carcinoma of the esophagus and lung. In dermatology, applications for PDT include oncological diseases such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma; actinic and non-oncological keratoses; bacterial, fungal, viral, immunological, or inflammatory infections in the treatment of chronic wounds; and, finally, in cosmetology for photorejuvenation. PDT is based on the cytotoxic action of some hyperactive oxygen species, especially singlet oxygen but also superoxide anion and hydroxyl radicals, generated by the transfer of energy and/or electrons from a photoexcited oxygen sensitizer. Three important mechanisms are responsible for the efficacy of PDT: (1) the direct death of tumor cells or inflammation, (2) damage to tumor vessels, and (3) an immunological response associated with the stimulation of leukocytes and the release of interleukins and other cytokines, growth factors, complement components, acute-phase proteins, and other immunoregulators.

After the first and second successful editions, we are now launching a third volume. This new Special Issue continues to cover all aspects of photodynamic therapy, including the discovery of new natural and synthetic photosensitizers, biomaterials and nanotechnology, in vitro and in vivo studies, and clinical trials. With our joint collaboration, this volume will strengthen and stimulate further research.

Dr. Stefano Bacci
Guest Editor

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