Dye, Photodynamic Therapy

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy may be thought of as a directed and controlled application of the cellular damage possible from light energy. There are two main areas of clinical interest, these being the photodynamic therapy of cancer (shortened to PDT) and the parallel application to microbial disease and infection control, the latter having several names, including antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (APDT), photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT, used in this review), and photodynamic disinfection (PDD). In the case of both areas clinical interest, in order to target and mediate cellular damage, a light-absorbing chemical, called a photosensitizer, is used.