Photopharmacology is an emerging approach in medicine in which drugs are activated and deactivated with light. The energy of light is used to change for shape and chemical properties of the drug, resulting in different biological activity. This is done to ultimately achieve control  when and where drugs are active in a reversible manner,  to prevent side effects and exposure to the environment of antibiotics. Switching drugs 'on' and 'off' is achieved by introducing photoswitches such as azobenzene, spiropyran or diarylethene into the drug. By introducing the photoswitch , the drug has two different states between which can be switched with light . Since both states have a different structure, the activity of the drug is different hence the 'on' and 'off' state of the drug  An example is photostatin, which is an inhibitor that can be switched on and off in vivo , to optically control microtubule dynamics.
Photopharmacology , an emerging approach in medicine , involves activating and deactivating drugs with light. Clinicians use the energy of light to change the shape and chemical properties of a drug, resulting in different biological activity. This is done to ultimately achieve control of when and where drugs are active in a reversible manner, and to prevent side effects and exposure to the environment of antibiotics. Switching drugs "on" and "off" is achieved by introducing photoswitches such as azobenzene, spiropyran or diarylethene into the drug. Photopharmalogical drugs with a photoswitch have two different states , which light can toggle between . Since both states have a different structure, the activity of the drug is different , hence the "on" and "off" state of the drug . An example is photostatin, which is an inhibitor that can be switched on and off in vivo to optically control microtubule dynamics.
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