Advances in smart nanotechnology-supported photodynamic therapy for cancer

Cancer has emerged as a formidable challenge in the 21st century, impacting society, public health, and the economy. Conventional cancer treatments often exhibit limited efficacy and considerable side effects, particularly in managing the advanced stages of the disease. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a contemporary non-invasive therapeutic approach, employs photosensitizers (PS) in conjunction with precise light wavelengths to selectively target diseased tissues, inducing the generation of reactive oxygen species and ultimately leading to cancer cell apoptosis. In contrast to conventional therapies, PDT presents a lower incidence of side effects and greater precision in targeting. The integration of intelligent nanotechnology into PDT has markedly improved its effectiveness, as evidenced by the remarkable synergistic antitumor effects observed with the utilization of multifunctional nanoplatforms in conjunction with PDT. This paper provides a concise overview of the principles underlying PS and PDT, while also delving into the utilization of nanomaterial-based PDT in the context of cancer treatment.