BODIPYs in antitumoral and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy: An integrating review

[Display omitted] •BODIPYs – their use as photosensitizers for PDT and PDI and as theranostic agents.•BODIPYs delivery and targeting – recent successful examples.•Activatable BODIPYs – a new promising group of photosensitizers for PDT and PDI.•Strategies to increase the production of reactive oxygen species are reviewed. Nowadays, both cancer and infections caused by antibiotic resistant microorganisms are problems that affect the entire planet. Phototherapy (namely photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of microorganisms) are an alternative method for the treatment of these diseases. That requires adequate photosensitizers and, in this sense, boron-dipyrromethenes (BODIPYs) have interesting properties to act as phototherapeutic agents. In the present review, first, we describe the different strategies used to increase reactive oxygen species production. Then, we explain different architectures developed aiming to enhance the solubility of BODIPYs in biological media in order to optimize their targeting and delivery into the cells to be treated. Finally, we discuss the design of BODIPYs that are activated by specific stimuli present in the target tissues, allowing increasing the selectivity of the treatment. The data presented and discussed here show that BODIPYs are outstanding photosensitizers for the treatment of tumors and infections in the presence of oxygen and light.