title: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photodiagnosis (PD) using endogenous photosensitization induced by 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA): current clinical and development status.
abstract: Exogenous provision of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) to many tissues results in the accumulation of sufficient quantities of the endogenous photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) via the heme biosynthetic pathway, to produce a photodynamic effect when exposed to activating light. Therefore, ALA may be considered the only current photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent in clinical development that is a biochemical precursor of a photosensitizer. Topical ALA application, followed by exposure to activating light (ALA PDT), has been reported effective for the treatment of a variety of dermatologic diseases including cutaneous superficial and nodular basal cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease, actinic (solar) keratoses, and T cell lymphoma. Local internal application of ALA has also been used for selective endometrial ablation in animal model systems and, in human clinical studies, it has shown selective formation of PpIX within the endometrium. PpIX induced by ALA application has also been used as a fluorescence detection marker for photodiagnosis (PD) of cancer and dysplastic conditions of the urinary bladder and other organs. Systemic, oral administration of ALA has been used for ALA PDT of superficial head and neck cancer, various gastrointestinal cancers, and the condition known as Barrett's esophagus. This paper reviews the current clinical and development status of ALA PDT and PD.
authors.affiliation: DUSA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, New York 10591, USA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Sobel
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Golub
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lundahl
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Shulman
mesh_terms: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011524:Protoporphyrins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D011524:Protoporphyrins; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid; C028025:protoporphyrin IX