Abstract
Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease caused by multifactorial reasons involving excessive sebum secretion and inflammation by Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes). Various conventional therapies are available for the treatment of acne vulgaris; however, topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted much attention because of its great potential for sebum-reducing, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. Although 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has been broadly used as a photosensitizer for topical PDT, it has several limitations such as long incubation time, pain, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Here, we report a biocompatible nanoformulation consisting of methylene blue and salicylic acid (MBSD), as a potent PDT and acne therapeutics, enclosed within oleic acid. Photoactivated MBSD showed antimicrobial activity against C. acnes along with long-term stability. When 24 patients with acne were treated with MBSD and light irradiation 5 times at 1-week intervals, MBSD-based PDT exhibited a remarkable reduction in acne lesions and sebum production. In addition, the therapeutic procedure was painless and safe, without any adverse events. Therefore, MBSD is a promising topical PDT agent for biocompatible, safe, and effective acne treatment.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 885-893 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Archives of Dermatological Research |
Volume | 315 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 May |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Keywords
- Acne vulgaris
- Methylene blue
- Nanoformulation
- Photodynamic therapy
- Salicylic acid
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Dermatology