Photodynamic Therapy of Infectious Disease Mediated by Functionalized Fullerenes

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a rapidly growing field of interest as a potential alternative antimicrobial technique to antibiotics because of the widespread growth of drug resistance in pathogens. PDT involves the use of a dye called a photosensitizer (PS) that can be activated by light, causing the production of reactive oxygen species, which can destroy a wide array of different pathogenic microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Functionalized fullerenes (especially with cationic charges) are new types of PS with the advantages of photostability and versatile photochemical mechanisms; they have recently been studied as anti-infectives both in vitro and in mouse models of localized infections. Broad-spectrum activity has been demonstrated against viruses and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi, and mice have been saved from death attributable to sepsis.