Is photodynamic therapy with curcumin suitable for combating monkeypox?

Abstract

Monkeypox (MPX) is a zoonotic viral infection caused by the Monkeypox Virus (MPXV), which may spread person-to-person directly. It is currently being treated with previously intended drugs for smallpox or other diseases caused by the orthopoxvirus, such as tecovirimat, cidofovir, and brincidofovir. The smallpox vaccination is also the treatment for MPX, consisting of Immune Globulin (IG) combined with human plasma. However, this type of vaccine may cause several neurological adverse events such as headache, pain, vertigo, dizziness, and non-serious limb paresthesia. Up to the present, there are no available treatments, Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (aPDT) may be a good choice for specifically targeting the MPXV because it is a non-invasive approach without side effects. The strategy is according to the principle of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) and its photodynamic action of curcumin for the research process on MPX. Why do we apply PDT with "curcumin" as a Photosensitizer (PS) against MPX, and is this a possible choice?

Keywords

• Photodynamic therapy
• curcumin
• monkeypox