Phototherapies for erythema multiforme secondary to viral infections: A case report of a child

Adjunctive phototherapies for oral manifestation of HIV-related histoplasmosis and leishmaniasis: An unusual case report

BACKGROUND

Secondary infections of leishmaniasis and histoplasmosis in patients with advanced HIV are still a concern in low- and middle-income countries. The most common drugs for the treatment of both infections may be problematic mainly due to their toxicity.

AIM AND CASE REPORT

The present study aimed to report a case in which a concurrent oral manifestation of leishmaniasis and histoplasmosis in a hospitalized patient with HIV was managed with a combination of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as an adjuvant treatment. In addition to the use of conventional systemic oral drugs, a single aPDT session followed by two PBMT sessions was proposed, which resulted in complete wound healing within four days.

CONCLUSION

Given the complexity of the current case, PBMT in combination with aPDT may be considered as an effective adjuvant option for managing oral infectious lesions of histoplasmosis and leishmaniasis in immunocompromised patients.

Natural photosensitizers potentiate the targeted antimicrobial photodynamic therapy as the Monkeypox virus entry inhibitors: An in silico approach

BACKGROUND

Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that has emerged as a threat to public health. Currently, there is no treatment approved specifically targeting Monkeypox disease. Hence, it is essential to identify and develop therapeutic approaches to the Monkeypox virus. In the current in silico paper, we comprehensively involve using computer simulations and modeling to insights and predict hypotheses on the potential of natural photosensitizers-mediated targeted antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) against D8L as a Monkeypox virus protein involved in viral cell entry.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the current study, computational techniques such as molecular docking were combined with in silico ADMET predictions to examine how Curcumin (Cur), Quercetin (Qct), and Riboflavin (Rib) as the natural photosensitizers bind to the D8L protein in Monkeypox virus, as well as to determine pharmacokinetic properties of these photosensitizers.

RESULTS

The three-dimensional structure of the D8L protein in the Monkeypox virus was constructed using homology modeling (PDB ID: 4E9O). According to the physicochemical properties and functional characterization, 4E9O was a stable protein with the nature of a hydrophilic structure. The docking studies employing a three-dimensional model of 4E9O with natural photosensitizers exhibited good binding affinity. D8L protein illustrated the best docking score (-7.6 kcal/mol) in relation to the Rib and displayed good docking scores in relation to the Cur (-7.0 kcal/mol) and Qct (-7.5 kcal/mol).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings revealed that all three photosensitizers were found to obey the criteria of Lipinski's rule of five and displayed drug-likeness. Moreover, all the tested photosensitizers were found to be non-hepatotoxic and non-cytotoxic. In summary, our investigation identified Cur, Qct, and Rib could efficiently interact with D8L protein with a strong binding affinity. It can be concluded that aPDT using these natural photosensitizers may be considered an adjuvant treatment against Monkeypox disease.

Phototherapies for the management of a large painful facial cutaneous lesion from human monkeypox infection

BACKGROUND

The management of patients with Monkeypox (MPX) infection is generally symptomatic as there has been no approved antiviral drug so far. Despite being generally a self-limited disease, some complications may be encountered such as severe pain and the formation of permanent skin scarring.

AIM

To present a case report in which a combination of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) and photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) was used for a large facial cutaneous lesion in an MPX patient.

CASE REPORT

A 20-year-old Caucasian man presenting with a large, painful, grayish, rubbery, well-circumscribed, deep-seated, and umbilicated ulcer on his face was treated with four daily sessions of PBMT and two sessions of aPDT every other day. Within a day, the patient's pain complaint was no longer present and a crust central area was visible. On the 4th day of laser treatment, the wound almost completely disappeared, leaving a small reddish area free of inflammation or infection signs and without unaesthetic skin scarring.

CONCLUSION

Given the lack of specific strategies for the management of severe MPX-related skin lesions, the current case report suggests that the concomitant use of PMBT and aPDT seems to be a promising therapeutic approach. The most appropriate laser parameters, however, should be further investigated in future studies in order to establish an effective and reliable clinical protocol.

Virtual screening and computational simulation analysis of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy using propolis-benzofuran A to control of Monkeypox

BACKGROUND

Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease and there are no available treatments that specifically target the monkeypox virus. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a non-invasive approach that has been introduced as a targeted adjuvant treatment against various microbial infections. In this study, we used a computational strategy to investigate the potential of aPDT using propolis-benzofuran A against the Monkeypox virus.

METHODS

In this in silico study, the evaluation of drug-likeness, molecular properties, and bioactivity of propolis-benzofuran A was carried out using SwissADME. Pro-Tox II and OSIRIS servers were used to identify the organ toxicities and toxicological endpoints of propolis-benzofuran A. Molecular docking approach was employed to screen the potential binding modes of propolis-benzofuran A ligand with the Monkeypox virus A48R protein (PDB ID: 2V54).

RESULTS

The results of the computational investigation revealed that propolis-benzofuran A obeyed all the criteria of Lipinski's rule of five and exhibited drug-likeness. The photosensitizing agent tested was categorized as toxicity class-5 and was found to be non-hepatotoxic, non-carcinogenic, non-mutagenic, and non-cytotoxic. The docking studies employing a predicted three-dimensional model of Monkeypox virus A48R protein with propolis-benzofuran A ligand exhibited good binding affinity (-7.84 kcal/mol).

DISCUSSION

The computational simulation revealed that propolis-benzofuran A had a strong binding affinity with the Monkeypox virus A48R protein. Hence, aPDT based on this natural photosensitizer can be proposed as an adjuvant treatment against the Monkeypox virus.

Photobiomodulation Therapy for Multiple Painful Fixed Drug Eruptions: The First Case Report

Introduction: Fixed drug eruption (FDE), a very specific adverse drug reaction and one of the most common types of drug eruption, generally resolves spontaneously within 7-10 days upon withdrawal of the causative agent; however, extensive and severe cases may also require systemic drug therapy. The present study aimed to report a case in which a broad spectrum of severe, painful lesions of FDE was managed with photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT). Case Report: A 31-year-old Caucasian woman presented with many extremely painful mucocutaneous lesions of FDE which had arisen 8 days before, following a long period of hospitalization. The lesions were not responsive to either corticosteroids or analgesics within 5 days, and then seven daily sessions of PBMT were proposed. Pain alleviation was achieved on the 1^st day of PBMT, and the lesions showed an advanced course of healing on the 3^rd day. Within 7 days of PBMT, the lesions were almost completely repaired. In a 3-month follow-up period, no relapse of any FDE lesion was reported. Conclusion: PBMT may be a promising strategy for the management of painful lesions of FDE refractory to conventional medication therapy. However, further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.