Carrier-Free, Amorphous Verteporfin Nanodrug for Enhanced Photodynamic Cancer Therapy and Brain Drug Delivery.

ABSTRACT: Glioblastoma (GBM) is hard to treat due to cellular invasion into functioning brain tissues, limited drug delivery, and evolved treatment resistance. Recurrence is nearly universal even after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves photosensitizer administration followed by light activation to generate reactive oxygen species at tumor sites, thereby killing cells or inducing biological changes. PDT can ablate unresectable GBM and sensitize tumors to chemotherapy. Verteporfin (VP) is a promising photosensitizer that relies on liposomal carriers for clinical use. While lipids increase VP's solubility, they also reduce intracellular photosensitizer accumulation. Here, a pure-drug nanoformulation of VP, termed "NanoVP", eliminating the need for lipids, excipie

SUBMITTER: Quinlan JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11077681 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature