CURCUMIN AS A PROMISING PHOTOSENSITIZER FOR PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY

Subject. The tendency of growing antibiotic resistance causes scientific medical community to develop new antimicrobial treatment protocols. Recently, the increased interest in photodynamic therapy has been noted. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-surgical method of treatment patients with inflammatory diseases and neoplasms in the maxillofacial region, based on the interaction between special light-sensitive chemical compounds — photosensitizers and light radiation. The literature reports the existence of synthetic and natural photosensitizers. Despite the higher stability present by the synthetic photosensitizers, they are more prone to collateral effects. Recently, a growing body of evidence shows the promising applications of curcumin against different diseases, including the pathologies in maxillofacial region. Curcumin is a bioactive compound isolated from the roots of Curcuma longa that has antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. The disadvantage of curcumin is that it is unstable at physiological pH, has low water solubility and is rapidly metabolized by the body. The objective of this work is to review current research aimed at improving curcumin as a photosensitizer used for photodynamic therapy. Methodology. The analysis of scientific articles from databases of medical and biological publications — scientific electronic library (Elibrary), PubMed and Web of Science, dedicated to the use of curcumin in photodynamic therapy. Results and conclusion. The results of modern research in the field of laser technologies presented in this review indicate that photodynamic therapy with curcumin, as a photosensitizer is a promising treatment option in many fields of medicine. The aforementioned scientific studies give the understanding that the study and improvement of delivery systems for curcumin photosensitizer by combining it with nanoparticles is a scientific interest.