title: ALA and ALA hexyl ester-induced porphyrin synthesis in chemically induced skin tumours: the role of different vehicles on improving photosensitization.
abstract: Exogenous administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is becoming widely used to enhance the endogenous synthesis of Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in photodynamic therapy. We analysed porphyrin formation in chemically induced squamous papillomas, after topical application of ALA and ALA hexyl ester (He-ALA) administered in different formulations, as well as the pattern of distribution in the internal organs, and the synthesis of porphyrins in distant tumoural and normal skins. A lotion formulation containing DMSO and ethanol was the best vehicle for topical ALA delivery to papillomas, whereas cream was the most efficient formulation for He-ALA application. Similar porphyrin concentration can be accumulated in the skin tumours employing either ALA or He-ALA delivered in their optimal formulations. The use of cream as a vehicle of both ALA and He-ALA, induces highest porphyrin tumour/normal skin ratios. The main advantage of using He-ALA is that porphyrins synthesized from the ester are more confined to the site of application, thus inducing low porphyrin levels in normal skin, liver, blood and spleen, as well as in papillomas distant from the point of application, independently on the vehicle employed, so reducing potential side effects of photodynamic therapy.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones sobre Porfirinas y Porfirias (CIPYP), CONICET and Department of Biochemistry, School of Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perotti
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Batlle
mesh_terms: D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010212:Papilloma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods; D011524:Protoporphyrins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011524:Protoporphyrins; D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid; C028025:protoporphyrin IX; C419924:5-aminolevulinic acid hexyl ester