Photosensitizers have attracted increasing attention as a critical role in photodynamic therapy (PDT). The membrane penetrability and the selective absorption of photosensitizers could be improved by linking carbohydrate. The research of glucoconjugated photosensitizers including the parent structure of glucoconjugated photosensitizers, the structure-activity relationships of glucoconjugated photosensitizers, the mechanisms of sugar radical in the compounds, the pharmacokinetics and metabolic product of glucoconjugated photosensitizers during the last several years is reviewed. The progress of glucoconjugated photosensitizers in the future is also presented.

Key words: photodynamic therapy, photosensitizer, carbohydrate