ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the currently employed functionalized nanomaterials in photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT is a noninvasive method for the treatment of cancer malaise. The introduction of nanomaterials in photodynamic therapy has enabled a broad spectrum of enhancement of the treatment modality in the areas of tumor-targeting and therapeutic specificity, optical absorption improvement, treatment of deep-seated tumors, and local tumor sightings. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are exceptional for the magnetic targeting while quantum dots (QDs), spherical gold nanoparticles, and lanthanide series nanoparticles (LS-NPs) have unique surface platforms to effect receptor-mediated tumor targeting approach. Porphyrin and its derivatives such as hydroxyphenyl porphyrins and chlorins are by far the most commonly used photosensitizers in PDT. The use of porphyrins in PDT has been in existence for many years. They are the first and oldest photosensitizers to be clinically accepted for human use. The first clinically accepted photosensitizer (PS) was photofrin which was a mixture of hematoporphyrin and derivatives.
