01/30/2026
The research article titled “Methylene blue photodynamic therapy induces selective and massive cell death in human breast cancer cells” was authored by Ancély F. Dos Santos and colleagues, a multidisciplinary research team specializing in cancer biology and photodynamic therapy. The study was published on March 15, 2017 in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Cancer, which is part of BioMed Central and indexed in PubMed under the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The publication provides open access to its full text, ensuring wide scientific visibility. The authors aimed to investigate the effectiveness of methylene blue-based photodynamic therapy (MB-PDT) as a complementary treatment strategy for breast cancer, particularly due to the high recurrence rates associated with incomplete elimination of malignant cells through conventional treatments like surgery and chemotherapy.
Methodologically, the researchers evaluated the effects of MB-PDT on three different human breast epithelial cell lines representing non-malignant cells and distinct molecular subtypes of breast cancer. The study involved incubating cells with methylene blue followed by controlled irradiation at a wavelength of 640 nm, then analyzing cell death mechanisms using imaging, biochemical assays, inhibitors, and gene-silencing techniques. Results demonstrated that MB-PDT induced selective and extensive death in malignant breast cancer cells, while non-malignant cells showed significantly higher resistance. Interestingly, the findings revealed that the induced cell death occurred largely through non-classical pathways rather than traditional apoptosis. The authors concluded that MB-PDT holds strong potential as a safe and effective adjunct therapy to breast cancer surgery, particularly for eliminating microscopic residual disease and reducing the risk of cancer recurrence and metastasis.
PMID: 28298203