title: Photodynamic therapy based on combined use of 5-aminolevulinic acid with a pheophorbide-a derivative for murine tumors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-based photodynamic therapy (PDT) appears to be a promising cancer treatment modality. Here, we investigated whether enhancement of 5-ALA-PDT by combining another photosensitizer, a pheophorbide-a derivative (PH-1126), is an option.
  
  
  METHODS
  PH-1126 (2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg.bw) and 5-ALA (168 mg/kg.bw) were injected i.p. into C3H/HeN mice bearing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or BALB/c nude mice bearing L5178Y lymphoma. Afterwards, these mice received laser irradiations (630 nm for 5-ALA and 650 nm for PH-1126) with a total dose of 88 J/cm2. The results showed that PDT with 5-ALA plus PH-1126 at a low dose (2.5 mg/kg.bw) were well tolerated by both animal models, with resultant synergistically enhanced inhibition of tumor growth and/or survival advantage for the treated animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated the usefulness of the combination of a low dose PH-1126 with 5-ALA for PDT of experimental tumors in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Fukui Medical University, Japan.
authors.forename: Z H
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takaoka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Udagawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tajiri
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumakiri
mesh_terms: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D007940:Leukemia L5178 / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents; D002734:Chlorophyll; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid; C032623:pheophorbide a