Photosensitizer-dendrimer Systems in Anticancer Treatments: from Photophysics to PDT Applications

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a modern form of treatment of cancers and other diseases. It is based on the use of a photosensitizer (PS), a molecule that after absorbing light generates reactive oxygen species with the potential to cause the destruction of the target tumoral cells. A great deal of research in this area has improved the efficiency of the process and eliminated its side effects by properly combining PS with nanomaterials. In this context, dendrimers are excellent candidates because their highly branched 3D architectures allow them to form a wide variety of supramolecular assemblies with PSs (PS-Ds) either covalently or by complexation, which possess a number of advantages for PDT application. This chapter reviews the recent progress in the development of PS-Ds systems, their photophysical characterization, and achievements in PDT technology.