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Photodynamic Therapy Essay

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• Light source: Photodynamic therapy needs a source of light that activates the photosensitizer by exposure to low-power visible light at a specific wavelength.(118) Human tissue transmits red light efficiently, and the longer activation wavelength of the photosensitizer results in deeper light penetration.(118) Consequently, most photosensitizers are activated by red light between 630 and 700 nm, corresponding to a light penetration depth from 0.5 cm (at 630 nm) to 1.5 cm (at 700 nm).(119) This limits the depth of necrosis and/or apoptosis and defines the therapeutic effect.(120) As a result, larger solid tumors cannot be uniformly illuminated, because of the limited depth of light penetration.(120) The total light dose, the dose rates …show more content…

(v) High quantum yield of singlet oxygen production in vivo. (vi) Cost effectiveness and commercial availability. (vii) high solubility in water, injection solutions, and blood substitutes; and storage and application light stability.(121) In antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, the particular photosensitizers employed are toluidine blue O [tolonium chloride: (7-amino-8-methyl-phenothiazin-3-ylidene)- dimethyl-ammonium (C15H16N3S+)], or methylene blue [3,7-bis(dimethyl-amino)phenazathionium chloride tetramethylthionine chloride (C16H18N3ClS).(125) The phenothiazine dyes (toluidine blue O and methylene blue) are the major photosensitizers applied clinically in the medical field. Both have similar chemical and physicochemical characteristics.(125) Toluidine blue O is a solution that is blue–violet in color, it can stain granules within mast cells, and proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans within connective tissues.(125) In the field of oral surgery, toluidine blue O has been used to detect mucosal tumors or atypical epithelia as normal mucosal epithelium cannot be stained by toluidine blue O.(125) Methylene blue is a redox

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