title: Stability of 5-aminolevulinic acid in aqueous solution.
abstract: The chemical stability of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was studied in aqueous solution as a function of concentration, pH, temperature and in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The degradation of ALA was followed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography using a pH where ALA is protonated (pKa1=3.90; pKa2=8. 05, as determined potentiometrically). ALA was degraded by a reaction following second order kinetics. Stock solutions of 1% (60 mM) ALA were incubated at 50 degrees C. At pH 2.35, ALA was stable during the whole incubation period (37 days). The half-lives for the second-order decomposition of 1% ALA at pH 4.81 and 7.42 were 257 and 3.0 h, respectively. The degradation rate increased about 1.5 times with each 10 degrees C rise in temperature at pH 7.53 within the range studied (37-85 degrees C). The energy of activation, Ea, for the second-order decomposition of ALA was 43.7 kJmol-1. EDTA did not influence the degradation of ALA when a mixture of 1% ALA and 1% EDTA was incubated at pH 7.42.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Pharmacy, Box 160, S-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Elfsson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wallin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eksborg
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rudaeus
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ros
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ehrsson
mesh_terms: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D004355:Drug Stability; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D012996:Solutions; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid; D004492:Edetic Acid