LAUSR

Sporotrichosis is a worldwide zoonosis, prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in human and feline cases reported in Brazil. Despite this, the antifungal treatment for sporotrichosis is still limited, and thus, research into new therapeutic modalities must be encouraged. Recently, photodynamic therapy has been introduced as a treatment for sporotrichosis. This work presents an overview of both in vitro and in vivo studies that have used photodynamic therapy in the context of photoinactivation of Sporothrix species. Until now, as far as the authors are aware, this is the first scope review specifically on photodynamic therapy for the treatment of sporotrichosis. A systematic electronic search was conducted in two databases: Web of Science and PubMed. Seven original articles published from 2010 to July 2021 were selected, six of which met the proposed inclusion and exclusion criteria and were considered in this scoping review. Concerning the photoinactivation of Sporothrix spp. the results have been promising as studies, in both animals and humans, have reported significant clinical and mycological effects. The most used photosensitizers were methylene blue and its derivatives, and aminolevulinic acid and its methyl derivative, methyl aminolevulinic acid. In conclusion, photodynamic therapy has great potential in treatment of sporotrichosis, as its fungicidal effect both in vitro and in vivo has clearly been demonstrated. Photodynamic therapy could be used in conjunction with classic antifungal agents to optimize treatment outcomes.