Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a promising cancer treatment that employs a combination of a photosensitizing chemical, oxygen, and visible light, induces apoptosis in tumor cells. However, the precise mechanism of PDT-induced apoptosis is not well characterized. Many of the photosensitizers currently in clinical or pre-clinical studies of PDT are localized in or have a major influence on mitochondria. The treatment with PDT causes mitochondrial damage and induces apoptosis through the release of cytochrome c (cyt c), apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), Smac/DIABLO and certain procaspases. Proapoptotic and antiapoptotic members of BcL-2 family regulate the release of these proteins from mitochondria. The purpose of this mini-review is to present some recent publications that focus on the involvement of the mitochondria in apoptosis of cancer cells induced by PDT.
Photodynamic therapy; Apoptosis; Mitochondria
