Turning Photons into Drugs: Phthalocyanine-Based Photosensitizers as Efficient Photoantimicrobials

Abstract

One of the most promising alternatives for treating bacterial infections is antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT), making the synthesis and application of new photoactive compounds called photosensitizers (PS) a dynamic research field. In this regard, phthalocyanine (Pc) derivatives offer great opportunities due to their extraordinary light-harvesting and tunable electronic properties, structural versatility, and stability. This Review, rather than focusing on synthetic strategies, intends to overview current progress in the structural design strategies for Pcs that could achieve effective photoinactivation of microorganisms. In addition, the Review provides a concise look into the recent developments and applications of nanocarrier-based Pc delivery systems.