title: Porphyrins in urine after administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid as a potential tumor marker.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tumor markers are commonly used for cancer screening and as indicators of therapeutic effects. Certain types of tumor have been known to produce a variety of porphyrins after 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) administration. In this study, porphyrins in tumor-bearing mouse urine were analyzed after oral administration of ALA in order to identify new tumor markers excreted in the urine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Porphyrin concentrations in the urine of tumor-bearing mice were measured after administration of 1.0mg of ALA (approximately 50mgkg(-1)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Porphyrin concentrations in the urine of tumor-bearing mice increased after administration of ALA. HPLC analysis of the urine revealed the existence of uroporphyrin (UP) and coproporphyrin (CP) in the urine of ALA-treated tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, at 3h after ALA administration, UP concentrations in the urine of tumor-bearing mice significantly increased compared to those in the urine of normal mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that UP as a precursor of heme detected in the urine of tumor-bearing mice after ALA administration is a potential marker of tumor development.
authors: SBI ALApromo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Masahiro
authors: M
authors: Ishizuka
authors: Yuichiro
authors: Y
authors: Hagiya
authors: Yasuhiro
authors: Y
authors: Mizokami
authors: Kanako
authors: K
authors: Honda
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Tabata
authors: Toshiaki
authors: T
authors: Kamachi
authors: Kiwamu
authors: K
authors: Takahashi
authors: Fuminori
authors: F
authors: Abe
authors: Tohru
authors: T
authors: Tanaka
authors: Motowo
authors: M
authors: Nakajima
authors: Shun-ichiro
authors: S
authors: Ogura
authors: Ichiro
authors: I
authors: Okura
mesh_terms: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000652:urine*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000652:urine*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000652:urine*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D011166:Porphyrins; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid