Abstract
Photodynamic therapy has emerged as an alternative to chemo- and radiotherapy for the treatment of certain types of cancer. Nanoparticles have been used to improve the delivery and the efficiency of the photosensitizer as they allow its encapsulation without loss of activity. Using targeting strategies, they can also allow the selective accumulation of the photosensitizer in the cancer tissues. In this review, based on the chemical nature of the nanoparticles, the different methods for their syntheses are described from the pioneering works to the latest achievements. Indeed the nanosystems can be conjugated to a biomolecule or an antibody to target receptors over-expressed in cancer cells and/or angiogenic vascular endothelial cells. Numerous in vivo and in vitro applications have been described. Multifunctional nanoplatforms combining several applications within the same nano-object emerge as potential important theranostic tools.