Hypericin lights up the way for the potential treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer by photodynamic therapy.

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the administration of a photosensitizer followed by light irradiation with a specific wavelength, giving rise to irreversible tissue destruction. Hypericin, a herbal extract derived from Hypericum perforatum or St. John's Wort, has minimal toxicity but exhibits potent photo-damaging effects in the presence of light. Hypericin is known to generate a high yield of singlet oxygen and other reactive oxygen species that are associated with photo-oxidative cellular damage. The application of PDT with hypericin for the treatment of cancers such as recurrent mesothelioma and skin cancer has been validated in clinical trials. This mini-review focuses on the investigative studies of hypericin as a potential photodynamic agent in the treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) in in vitro and in vivo models. NPC is an enigmatic tumor with a multifactorial etiology and a high incidence in the populations of Southern China.

• Authors: Malini Olivo, Hong-Yan Du, Boon-Huat Bay
• Journal: Current clinical pharmacology (Curr Clin Pharmacol) Vol. 1 Issue 3 Pg. 217-22 (Sep 2006) ISSN: 1574-8847 [Print] United Arab Emirates
• PMID: 18666746 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)

Chemical References

• Anthracenes
• Cytokines
• Reactive Oxygen Species
• Perylene
• hypericin
• Matrix Metalloproteinase 1

Topics

• Animals
• Anthracenes
• Cytokines (biosynthesis)
• Humans
• Lipid Peroxidation (drug effects)
• Matrix Metalloproteinase 1 (genetics)
• Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms (drug therapy, metabolism)
• Perylene (analogs & derivatives, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic use)
• Photochemotherapy (methods)
• Reactive Oxygen Species