Facilitated delivery of ALA to inaccessible regions via bioadhesive patch systems.
5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is now being increasingly used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photodiagnosis (PDD) of lesions of the oral cavity, esophagus, and female genital tract. Clearly, topically applied creams and solutions are not the most suitable drug delivery systems for such moist and irregularly shaped areas, where shear forces may be high. As a result, such areas of the body are currently relatively inaccessible to efficient topical delivery of ALA. The use of a bioadhesive patch for topical delivery of ALA to the lower female genital tract and now, for the first time, to the human lip, is described. Use of the patch, containing 38 mg ALA cm-2, allowed successful PDT of vulval intraepithelial neoplasia lesions and induced protoporphyrin IX production in Herpes simplex lesions of the lip.
School of Pharmacy, Queens University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Rd, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
Paul A
PA
McCarron
Li-Wei
LW
Ma
Petras
P
Juzenas
Vladimir
V
Lani
A
A
Woolfson
Agnieszka A
AA
Zawislak
Johan
J
Moan
D000287:Administration, Topical; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid