Evaluation of the photodynamic potential of curcumin in fractionated light doses against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant highlights the need for alternative treatments. Therefore, one treatment that has shown efficacy is photodynamic inactivation (PDI), which is capable of inactivating microorganisms through the interaction of a photosensitizer, light, and oxygen. In this study, the bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), curcumin, and continuous and fractionated doses of blue light were used as a model. The results demonstrated that curcumin is capable of inactivating MRSA at the highest concentrations and doses of light tested. However, fractionated light application achieved more promising results compared to continuous light. It was possible to conclude that light fractionation has photodynamic potential under the conditions tested. However, further studies are needed to improve the technique to enable better results for the inactivation of resistant bacteria.