Photodynamic therapy (PDT) combines light, molecular oxygen and a photosensitizer to induce oxidative stress in target cells. Certain hydrophobic photosensitizers, such as aluminium-phthalocyanine chloride (AlPc), have significant potential for antitumor PDT applications. However, hydrophobic molecules often require drug-delivery systems, such as nanostructures, to improve their pharmacokinetic properties and to prevent aggregation, which has a quenching effect on the photoemission properties in aqueous media. As a result, this work aims to develop and test the efficacy of an AlPc in the form of a nanoemulsion to enable its use in anticancer PDT. The nanoemulsion was developed using castor oil and Cremophor ELP®, and a monodisperse population of nanodroplets with a hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 25 nm was obtained. While free AlPc failed to show significant activity against human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells in an in vitro PDT assay, the AlPc in the nanoemulsion showed intense photodynamic activity. Photoactivated AlPc exhibited a 50 % cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) of 6.0 nM when applied to MCF-7 cell monolayers and exerted a powerful cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 cell spheroids. Through the use of spontaneous emulsification, a stable AlPc nanoemulsion was developed that exhibits strong in vitro photodynamic activity on cancer cells.

The transition from predatory extractive economies to high-technology systems centered on the standing forest paradigm represents a defining sustainability challenge for the Global South. This integrative review establishes a novel socio-technical and technological architecture, conceptualized as Amazonian Nanobioeconomy 5.0, by critically synthesizing the convergence of the Amazonian lipid pharmacopeia, Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NaDESs), and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) optimization. We critically evaluate how data-driven green nanomanufacturing can overcome the empirical trial-and-error bottlenecks and severe chemical variability inherent to native biodiversity oils and butters. The integration of predictive algorithms—such as tree-based models and Bayesian optimization—with eco-friendly extraction media enables the rational design of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) while accelerating their translation across the biotechnological “Valley of Death”. Under the Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework, this convergence offers a composition-dependent green alternative to harmful petrochemical volatile organic compounds, fosters circular biorefineries, and minimizes the global environmental footprint of advanced nanopharmaceuticals and cosmeceuticals. Finally, we articulate how this digital and green deep-tech infrastructure must be non-negotiably tethered to strict territorial governance, fair benefit-sharing, and epistemic justice to prevent data colonialism and foster a truly just planetary transition.