Photodynamic therapy (
PDT) has received high attention in
cancer treatment due to its minimal side effects, specific
cancer-targeting, non-invasion and low cost. It utilizes a specific group of anti-
cancer drugs called
photosensitizers (PS), which can be only activated under a certain wavelength light illumination and kills
cancer cells. To screen the potential of PS and setup of
PDT treatment protocol, it is essential to assess the
PDT efficacy in vitro. In this study, a light-emitting diode- (LED-) based illumination system at two wavelengths (red & blue) with homogeneous and stable irradiation, and constant temperature conditions in 96-well plates was provided. The photodynamic effect of
curcumin (CUR) and methyl
ester of 5-aminolevulinic
acid (MAL) using LED light on human
glioma cell line was investigated. The obtained results indicate that this homemade LED-based illumination system is a favorable light source for in vitro
PDT in 96-well plates. The
PDT using CUR and MAL was efficient at final concentrations of 25μM and 2mM, and light doses of 60J/cm2 and 40J/cm2 respectively. The blue
PDT efficiency was dependent on the light and PS doses. MAL-
PDT and CUR-
PDT using blue LED significantly decreased cell viability in the treatment groups compared with control groups. Furthermore, MAL-
PDT using blue LEDs was more effective in comparison with conventional red LEDs on the human
glioma cell line.