We will discuss diffusion in bacterial biofilms for possible insight into antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI). aPDI operates by one of two mechanisms. Typically, aPDI requires the diffusion of a photosensitizer and molecular oxygen into the biofilm and photoactivation of oxygen for the in-situ generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which inactivate the microbes. A second approach is superhydrophobic aPDI (SH-aPDI), a subject we are actively involved in. SH-aPDI involves the generation of singlet oxygen (1O2) adjacent to the biofilm surface, followed by diffusion of the reactive gas into the biofilm. Molecular diffusion in biofilms has been long investigated, where our review of literature is intended to draw a logical link between diffusion in biofilms and ROS, a combination that leads to the current state of aPDI and superhydrophobic aPDI (SH-aPDI). This discussion should be of interest both to photochemists and photobiologists, as is ties together aPDI and SH-aPDI work, drawing attention to subjects often overlooked in reactive oxygen chemistry.

Insight into antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation from topical and superhydrophobic sensitizer techniques

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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