Polymeric micelles as a strategy to enhance the phototoxic efficacy of phenazine photosensitizers

AIASSA V

Polymers advanced technologies

John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Año: 2023

1042-7147

ntimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a promising therapeutic strategy fortreating bacterial infections resistant to conventional antibiotics. In the search forideal photosensitizers (PSs), we became interested in phenazine compounds, such asNeutral Red (NR) and its halogenated derivative (NRBr). Although they have showngood results in the inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus in their free form, they havesome undesirable properties that could be overcome by using drug delivery systems.In this work, we propose the use of polymeric micelles for the development of nanophotosensitizersfrom Pluronic P123 and F108. The micellar systems developed hada size close to 30?40 nm and allowed us to obtain seven nanophotosensitizers. All ofthem increased the chemical stability of NRBr and did not modify the stability of NR,which was already stable in buffer solution (pH = 7.4). Furthermore, the Pluronicmicelles markedly decreased the aggregation of PSs and increased their photochemicalreactiv