Photomedicine based on heme-derived compounds.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Photomedicine
• Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

• Photoimaging and phototherapy are crucial for medical diagnosis and treatment.
• Synthetic photosensitizers (PS) like quantum dots face challenges in clinical translation due to toxicity and immunogenicity.
• Naturally occurring heme derivatives offer potential as safe and effective PS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the photophysical properties of heme-derived compounds.
• To summarize recent advancements in using these compounds for biomedical imaging and phototherapy.
• To highlight biliverdin and bilirubin as under-explored photomedicine candidates.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of photomedicine research.
• Analysis of photophysical properties of heme derivatives.
• Synthesis and characterization of novel photosensitizers (implied).

Main Results:

• Heme derivatives, including porphyrin, biliverdin, and bilirubin, possess unique photoreactive properties.
• Porphyrin-based photomedicines are well-documented.
• Biliverdin and bilirubin show significant, yet less explored, potential for photomedical applications.

Conclusions:

• Heme-derived compounds represent a promising class of endogenous photosensitizers.
• Biliverdin and bilirubin warrant further investigation for clinical translation in imaging and therapy.
• These natural compounds may overcome limitations associated with synthetic photosensitizers.