Abstract
Superficial and systemic fungal infections are essential problems for the modern health care system. One of the challenges is the growing resistance of fungi to classic antifungals and the constantly increasing cost of therapy. These factors force the scientific world to intensify the search for alternative and more effective methods of treatment. This paper presents an overview of new fungal inactivation methods using Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (PACT). The results of research on compounds from the groups of phenothiazines, xanthanes, porphyrins, chlorins, porphyrazines, and phthalocyanines are presented. An intensive search for a photosensitizer with excellent properties is currently underway. The formulation based on the existing ones is also developed by combining them with nanoparticles and common antifungal therapy. Numerous studies indicate that fungi do not form any specific defense mechanism against PACT, which deems it a promising therapeutic alternative.
Highlights
It has been reported that more than 300 million people all over the world suffer from severe fungal infections
These experiments were followed by a study assessing these two porphyrinoids in photodynamic inactivation of fungi responsible for onychomycosis, T. rubrum, Trichophyton interdigitale, and S. brevicaulis, in suspension and immobilized on a surface, as well as evaluation of anionic Eosin Y for Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (PACT) of the aforementioned fungi growing on surface [192]
The same problem is observed for the use of the PACT method against fungi
Summary
It has been reported that more than 300 million people all over the world suffer from severe fungal infections. Superficial fungal infections can cause life-threatening problems [5]. It is known that Candida spp. form hard to treat biofilm [3] Another growing issue is the occurrence of infections of keratinized tissues (skin, nail) caused by dermatophytes, whose incidence is on the rise and are becoming a serious problem in the society [8]. Four classes of antifungal drugs are used in clinical practice These are: polyenes, which disrupt ergosterol in the fungal cell membranes; azoles, which inhibit lanosterol 14α-demethylase (enzyme converting lanosterol to ergosterol); pyrimidine analogs, Nanomaterials 2021, 11, 2883. The abovementioned biofilm is a significant factor contributing to fungal drug resistance. Cells in biofilm more efficiently resist the host immune system. It should be highlighted that no genotoxic and mutagenic effects in human cells were found for the antifungal PACT conditions [4]
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