We have established a novel photodynamic therapy (PDT) system in which the photosensitizer is activated by chemical molecules instead of outer light source. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported PDT system for treating cancer and microbial infections that is independent of light irradiation.<br/><br/>The system is aimed to address the major bottle neck of PDT is for the requirement of outer light source, which always limits effective therapeutic of PDT to the lesions in deeper tissue. In this system, luminol, hydrogen peroxide and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were used as bioluminescent molecules and a cationic oligo(p-phenylene vinylene) (OPV) that acts as the photosensitizer. They meet the spectra overlap requirement for bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) as the donor-acceptor pair. The excited OPV sensitizes oxygen molecule in the surrounding to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that kill the adjacent cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and pathogenic microbes.<br/><br/>By avoiding the use of light irradiation, the new strategy for treating cancer and microbial infections opens a new therapy modality to tumor and pathogen infections.

Application of bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) in anticancer and antifungal research

249th National Meeting (2015)

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