Autophagy Regulation and Photodynamic Therapy: Insights to Improve Outcomes of Cancer Treatment

WALESKA K. MARTINS; DANIEL GRASSO; ROSANGELA ITRI; RENATA BELOTTO; MAYNNE D. SURIANI; MAURICIO S. BAPTISTA; MARYANA N. SILVA; TAYNA´ S. LAVOR; TAYANA M. TSUBONE

Frontiers in Oncology

Frontiers Media SA

Lugar: Lausanne; Año: 2021

Cancer is considered an age-related disease that, over the next 10 years, will become themost prevalent health problem worldwide. Although cancer therapy has remarkablyimproved in the last few decades, novel treatment concepts are needed to defeat thisdisease. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) signalize a pathway to treat and manage severaltypes of cancer. Over the past three decades, new light sources and photosensitizers (PS)have been developed to be applied in PDT. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge toexplain the main biochemical routes needed to trigger regulated cell death mechanisms,affecting, considerably, the scope of the PDT. Although autophagy modulation is beingraised as an interesting strategy to be used in cancer therapy, the main aspects referringto the autophagy role over cell succumbing PDT-photoinduced damage remain elusive.Several reports emphasize cytoprotective autophagy, as an ultimate attempt of cells tocope with the photo-induced stress and to survive. Moreover, other underlying molecularmechanisms that evoke PDT-resistance of tumor cells were considered. We reviewed theparadigm about the PDT-regulated cell death mechanisms that involve autophagicimpairment or boosted activation. To comprise the autophagy-targeted PDT-protocolsto treat cancer, it was underlined those that alleviate or intensify PDT-resistance of tumorcells. Thereby, this review provides insights into the mechanisms by which PDT can beused to modulate autophagy and emphasizes how this field represents a promisingtherapeutic strategy for cancer treatment.