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A clinical study of photodynamic therapy for chronic skin ulcers in lower limbs infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and healing-promoting effect of topical photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) on chronic skin ulcers infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). A total of 26 patients with chronic skin ulcers in lower limbs infected with PA were enrolled. The surface areas of the ulcers were treated with either δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated PDT (20 % ALA solution, 1.5 h incubation, 630 nm red light, 80 J/cm2) or red light alone, both once a week for two weeks. Before treatment, the wound areas and the bacteria levels in these two groups were comparable (p > 0.05). Results indicated that the bacteria levels in the skin ulcers of the light only group of 24 h post-treatment (3.4 × 107 ± 7.1 × 107 CFU/cm2) and pre-treatment (5.5 × 107 ± 1.6 × 108 CFU/cm2) were not significantly different. In contrast, the bacteria levels on the surfaces of the ulcers in the PDT group of 24 h post-treatment (6.3 × 105 ± 1.7 × 106 CFU/cm2) and pre-treatment (8.9 × 107 ± 1.7 × 108 CFU/cm2) were significantly different (p < 0.01). At seven days post treatment, the mean ulcer area in the red light group was reduced from 11.85 ± 6.83 to 7.8 ± 4.9 cm2 (p < 0.01), that of PDT group from 12.72 ± 8.58 to 3.4 ± 3.4 cm2 (p < 0.01). Better healing was seen in PDT group (p < 0.01). In conclusion, ALA-PDT is a potential modality to control PA infection and promote healing of chronic skin ulcers in lower limbs.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, grant number 81271760 and 81471703).

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No conflicts of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 400042, Chongqing, China

    Xia Lei & Jinjin Wu

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 400016, Chongqing, China

    Bo Liu

  3. MOE Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine, Fujian Normal University, 350007, Fuzhou, China

    Zheng Huang

  4. University of Colorado Denver Cancer Center, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Zheng Huang

Authors
  1. Xia Lei
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  2. Bo Liu
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  3. Zheng Huang
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  4. Jinjin Wu
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Correspondence to Zheng Huang or Jinjin Wu.

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Lei, X., Liu, B., Huang, Z. et al. A clinical study of photodynamic therapy for chronic skin ulcers in lower limbs infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Arch Dermatol Res 307, 49–55 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-014-1520-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-014-1520-4

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