Treatment of infected wounds with methylene blue photodynamic therapy: An effective and safe treatment method

Background: Bacterial resistance is a problem during the process of healing of infected wounds. As a therapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has broad-spectral antibacterial activity and non-selective action, which makes it possible to deal with antibiotic resistance.. Methylene blue is a commonly used medicine, but it is rarely used in clinical practice as a photosensitizer. The effect of methylene blue photodynamic therapy (MB-PDT) on infected wounds remains unclear. Our study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MB-PDT on infected wounds. Methods: In this study, 5 patients with infected wounds were included, all of them were treated with MB-PDT by using the red LED which irradiated the wounds directly (635 nm, 120 J/cm2, 100 mW/cm2). The frequency and course of treatment were determined by the severity of the wound. Results: After an average of 4 PDT session, infected wounds of all the patients healed.. The treatment also showed an excellent cosmetic effect. According to the follow-up periods of patients ranged from 3 to 12 months, there were no recurrences and side effects. Conclusions: MB-PDT has a great healing effect on infected wounds, and it is a safe, cheap and active clinical therapy.