This article addresses experimental investigations and the clinical use of
PDT in the Rudolfstiftung Hospital, Vienna. We investigated mesotetrahydroxyphenylchlorine (
mTHPC) and the
photosensitizer hematoporphyrin derivative alone or in combination to prove photodynamic antibacterial effects on Staphylococcus aureus (wild type).
mTHPC showed antibacterial toxicity in the dark;
hematoporphyrin derivative showed suppressive growth effects only after white-light illumination. Photodynamic activity by the combination of both
dyes was obtained in a roughly additive manner. Furthermore, we observed the development of resistance of
erythromycin after the illumination procedure with
hematoporphyrin derivative. Wild-type S. aureus developed no resistance to the other
antibiotics tested. Furthermore, long-term follow-up examinations proved
mTHPC-mediated
PDT as a possible adjuvant intraoperative
therapy in cases of relapses of gynecologic
carcinomas.
PDT is a tissue-selective and simple intervention. It shows few side effects, and, therefore, it reduces the overall burden of
tumor patients. In another clinical investigation, we used 5-aminolevulinic
acid-based
PDT to treat intraepithelial
neoplasia and human papillomavirus of the uterine cervix. 33 of 38 (86,8%) patients with superficial
cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades I and II were treated successfully with
PDT. Eradication of
human papillomavirus infections was successfully performed in 80% of the cases.