Capsulight: an innovative phototherapeutic strategy against severe gastric infections

Conventional antimicrobial strategies have become increasingly ineffective due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance among pathogenic bacteria. In order to overcome this problem, antimicrobial PhotoDynamic Therapy (PDT) is considered an alternative promising therapy. PDT has a broad spectrum of action and low mutagenic potential and is particularly effective when microorganisms present endogenous photosensitizing pigments. Helicobacter pylori (Hp), a pathogen notoriously responsible for severe gastric infections (chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, MALT lymphoma and gastric adenocarcinoma), might be a suitable target of antimicrobial PDT as produces and accumulates the photosensitizers protoporphyrin IX and coproporphyrins. With the aim to design and develop an ingestible LED-based robotic pill for intragastric phototerapy so that irradiation can be performed in situ without the use of invasive endoscopic light, the action spectra for Hp photokilling will be determined. The photophysical properties of the Hp porphyrins will be studied. Hp culture samples will be irradiated at various wavelengths and intensities to determine the most efficient light conditions. Framework project: "CapsuLight"(CUP B52I14005760002) financed by Regione Toscana, Bando FAS Salute 2014 (Italy).