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Biochemical Society Transactions Apr 20225-Aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) was first implemented over three decades ago and has since been mainly part of clinical practice for the... (Review)
Review
5-Aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) was first implemented over three decades ago and has since been mainly part of clinical practice for the management of pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesions. Photodynamic therapy relies on the combination of a photosensitizer, light and oxygen to cause photo-oxidative damage of cellular components. 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a natural precursor of the heme biosynthetic pathway, which when exogenously administered leads to the accumulation of the photoactivatable protoporphyrin IX. Although, effective and providing excellent cosmetic outcomes, its use has been restricted by the burning, stinging, and prickling sensation associated with treatment, as well as cutaneous adverse reactions that may be induced. Despite intense research in the realm of drug delivery, pain moderation, and light delivery, a novel protocol design using sunlight has led to some of the best results in terms of treatment response and patient satisfaction. Daylight PDT is the protocol of choice for the management of treatment of multiple or confluent actinic keratoses (AK) skin lesions. This review aims to revisit the photophysical, physicochemical and biological characteristics of ALA-PDT, and the underlying mechanisms resulting in daylight PDT efficiency and limitations.
Topics: Aminolevulinic Acid; Humans; Keratosis, Actinic; Photochemotherapy; Sunlight; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 35385082
DOI: 10.1042/BST20200822 -
Blood Nov 2023The acute hepatic porphyrias (AHPs) are inherited disorders of heme biosynthesis characterized by life-threatening acute neurovisceral attacks precipitated by factors...
The acute hepatic porphyrias (AHPs) are inherited disorders of heme biosynthesis characterized by life-threatening acute neurovisceral attacks precipitated by factors that upregulate hepatic 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase 1 (ALAS1) activity. Induction of hepatic ALAS1 leads to the accumulation of porphyrin precursors, in particular 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), which is thought to be the neurotoxic mediator leading to acute attack symptoms such as severe abdominal pain and autonomic dysfunction. Patients may also develop debilitating chronic symptoms and long-term medical complications, including kidney disease and an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Exogenous heme is the historical treatment for attacks and exerts its therapeutic effect by inhibiting hepatic ALAS1 activity. The pathophysiology of acute attacks provided the rationale to develop an RNA interference therapeutic that suppresses hepatic ALAS1 expression. Givosiran is a subcutaneously administered N-acetylgalactosamine-conjugated small interfering RNA against ALAS1 that is taken up nearly exclusively by hepatocytes via the asialoglycoprotein receptor. Clinical trials established that the continuous suppression of hepatic ALAS1 mRNA via monthly givosiran administration effectively reduced urinary ALA and porphobilinogen levels and acute attack rates and improved quality of life. Common side effects include injection site reactions and increases in liver enzymes and creatinine. Givosiran was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency in 2019 and 2020, respectively, for the treatment of patients with AHP. Although givosiran has the potential to decrease the risk of chronic complications, long-term data on the safety and effects of sustained ALAS1 suppression in patients with AHP are lacking.
Topics: Humans; Aminolevulinic Acid; RNA Interference; Quality of Life; Porphyrias, Hepatic; Pain; Heme; Porphyrias
PubMed: 37027823
DOI: 10.1182/blood.2022018662 -
Frontiers in Bioscience (Scholar... Dec 2023Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Therefore, mitochondria are currently being considered as...
BACKGROUND
Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Therefore, mitochondria are currently being considered as subjects for targeted therapies, particularly, phototherapy using 5-aminolevulinic acid. This study aimed to investigate the activity of mitochondria in cells with different mutation loads.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted using 11 cybrid lines obtained from the THP-1 cell line (a human monocytic leukemia cell line) and platelets of patients with different mitochondrial mutations.
RESULTS
Our results illustrate that 5-aminolevulinic acid was metabolized equally in all cell lines, however, there was a significant decrease in mitochondrial potential, which differed among lines.
CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study can be used to develop a personalized therapeutic approach based on different mitochondrial activities.
Topics: Humans; Aminolevulinic Acid; Photosensitizing Agents; Mitochondria; Cell Line; THP-1 Cells; Cell Line, Tumor
PubMed: 38163956
DOI: 10.31083/j.fbs1504017 -
Nutrients Jun 2023Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome characterized by decreased physical performance, muscle mass, and strength. Since the intake of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) with iron... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy and Safety of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Combined with Iron on Skeletal Muscle Mass Index and Physical Performance of Patients with Sarcopenia: A Multicenter, Double-Blinded, Randomized-Controlled Trial (ALADDIN Study).
Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome characterized by decreased physical performance, muscle mass, and strength. Since the intake of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) with iron can increase muscle mass and mitochondria in mice and elevate physical exercise performance in humans, the beneficial effects of ALA in patients with sarcopenia are expected, but this remains unexplored in the literature. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and dose dependency of ALA combined with iron in sarcopenia by measuring skeletal muscle mass index (SMI). Subjects with sarcopenia were enrolled and randomized into the ALA and sodium ferrous citrate (SFC) intake groups (ALA50/SFC29, ALA100/SFC29, ALA150/SFC29, ALA 100/SFC57, and ALA0/SFC29 placebo) and ingested the assigned study food for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint, the change in SMI from baseline to week 12, did not differ significantly between the groups. Hand grip significantly increased or tended to increase from baseline after 12 weeks with all doses of ALA or SFC compared with the placebo group. No consistent changes were observed in the other endpoints, including calf circumference, physical function, or quality of life (QOL). Although this study suggests safe administration and the possibility of ALA improving hand grip strength in patients with sarcopenia, further investigation is required.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Mice; Aged; Sarcopenia; Aminolevulinic Acid; Quality of Life; Hand Strength; Iron; Muscle, Skeletal; Muscle Strength
PubMed: 37447194
DOI: 10.3390/nu15132866 -
Acta Neurochirurgica Apr 2024Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor. Despite advances in multimodal concepts over the last decades, prognosis remains poor. Treatment of... (Review)
Review
Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor. Despite advances in multimodal concepts over the last decades, prognosis remains poor. Treatment of patients with glioblastoma remains a considerable challenge due to the infiltrative nature of the tumor, rapid growth rates, and tumor heterogeneity. Standard therapy consists of maximally safe microsurgical resection followed by adjuvant radio- and chemotherapy with temozolomide. In recent years, local therapies have been extensively investigated in experimental as well as translational levels. External stimuli-responsive therapies such as Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), Sonodynamic Therapy (SDT) and Radiodynamic Therapy (RDT) can induce cell death mechanisms via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after administration of five-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), which induces the formation of sensitizing porphyrins within tumor tissue. Preliminary data from clinical trials are available. The aim of this review is to summarize the status of such therapeutic approaches as an adjunct to current standard therapy in glioblastoma.
Topics: Humans; Glioblastoma; Aminolevulinic Acid; Fluorescence; Temozolomide; Reactive Oxygen Species
PubMed: 38563988
DOI: 10.1007/s00701-024-06049-3 -
Biochemical Pharmacology Nov 20235-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has been approved by the U. S. FDA for fluorescence-guided resection of high-grade glioma and photodynamic therapy (PDT) of superficial skin... (Review)
Review
5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has been approved by the U. S. FDA for fluorescence-guided resection of high-grade glioma and photodynamic therapy (PDT) of superficial skin precancerous and cancerous lesions. As a prodrug, ALA administered orally or topically is metabolized in the heme biosynthesis pathway to produce protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), the active drug with red fluorescence and photosensitizing property. Preferential accumulation of PpIX in tumors after ALA administration enables the use of ALA for PpIX-mediated tumor fluorescence diagnosis and PDT, functioning as a photo-theranostic agent. Extensive research is currently underway to further enhance ALA-mediated PpIX tumor disposition for better tumor visualization and treatment. Particularly, the discovery of PpIX as a specific substrate of ATP binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) opens the door to therapeutic enhancement with ABCG2 inhibitors. Studies with human tumor cell lines and human tumor samples have demonstrated ABCG2 as an important biological determinant of reduced ALA-PpIX tumor accumulation, inhibition of which greatly enhances ALA-PpIX fluorescence and PDT response. These studies strongly support targeting ABCG2 as an effective therapeutic enhancement approach. In this review, we would like to summarize current research of ABCG2 as a drug efflux transporter in multidrug resistance, highlight previous works on targeting ABCG2 for therapeutic enhancement of ALA, and provide future perspectives on how to translate this ABCG2-targeted therapeutic enhancement strategy from bench to bedside.
Topics: Humans; Aminolevulinic Acid; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2; Photochemotherapy; Protoporphyrins; Cell Line, Tumor; Photosensitizing Agents; Neoplasm Proteins
PubMed: 37858868
DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115851 -
Photochemistry and Photobiology 2023
Topics: Photosensitizing Agents; Aminolevulinic Acid; Photochemotherapy
PubMed: 37997489
DOI: 10.1111/php.13852 -
Cancer Science Feb 20225-Aminolevulinic acid is a new-generation photosensitizer with high tumor specificity. It has been used successfully in the diagnosis, treatment, and screening of... (Review)
Review
5-Aminolevulinic acid is a new-generation photosensitizer with high tumor specificity. It has been used successfully in the diagnosis, treatment, and screening of urological cancers including bladder cancer; specifically, it has been used in photodynamic diagnosis to detect tumors by illuminating the lesion with a specific wavelength of light to produce fluorescence in the lesion after administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid, in photodynamic therapy, which induces tumor cell death via production of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, and in photodynamic screening, in which porphyrin excretion in the blood and urine is used as a tumor biomarker after administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid. In addition to these applications in urological cancers, 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic technology is expected to be used as a novel strategy for a large number of cancer types because it is based on a property of cancer cells known as the Warburg effect, which is a basic biological property that is common across all cancers.
Topics: Aminolevulinic Acid; Biomarkers, Tumor; Early Detection of Cancer; Humans; Photochemotherapy; Photosensitizing Agents; Porphyrins; Reactive Oxygen Species; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms; Warburg Effect, Oncologic
PubMed: 34750935
DOI: 10.1111/cas.15193 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2023Steatosis, or ectopic lipid deposition, is the fundamental pathophysiology of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and chronic kidney disease. Steatosis in the renal tubule...
Steatosis, or ectopic lipid deposition, is the fundamental pathophysiology of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and chronic kidney disease. Steatosis in the renal tubule causes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, leading to kidney injury. Thus, ER stress could be a therapeutic target in steatonephropathy. Five-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is a natural product that induces heme oxygenase (HO)-1, which acts as an antioxidant. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of 5-ALA in lipotoxicity-induced ER stress in human primary renal proximal tubule epithelial cells. Cells were stimulated with palmitic acid (PA) to induce ER stress. Cellular apoptotic signals and expression of genes involved in the ER stress cascade and heme biosynthesis pathway were analyzed. The expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), a master regulator of ER stress, increased significantly, followed by increased cellular apoptosis. Administration of 5-ALA induced a remarkable increase in HO-1 expression, thus ameliorating PA-induced GRP78 expression and apoptotic signals. BTB and CNC homology 1 (), a transcriptional repressor of HO-1, was significantly downregulated by 5-ALA treatment. HO-1 induction attenuates PA-induced renal tubular injury by suppressing ER stress. This study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of 5-ALA against lipotoxicity through redox pathway.
Topics: Humans; Aminolevulinic Acid; Palmitic Acid; Apoptosis; Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; Heme Oxygenase-1; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
PubMed: 37373300
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210151 -
ACS Nano Jul 2023Mitochondria-specific photosensitizer accumulation is highly recommended for photodynamic therapy and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) oxidative damage-based innate...
Mitochondria-specific photosensitizer accumulation is highly recommended for photodynamic therapy and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) oxidative damage-based innate immunotherapy but remains challenging. 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA), precursor of photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), can induce the exclusive biosynthesis of PpIX in mitochondria. Nevertheless, its photodynamic effect is limited by the intracellular biotransformation of ALA in tumors. Here, we report a photosensitizer metabolism-regulating strategy using ALA/DNAzyme-co-loaded nanoparticles (ALA&Dz@ZIF-PEG) for mitochondria-targeting photodynamic immunotherapy. The zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) nanoparticles can be disassembled and release large amounts of zinc ions (Zn) within tumor cells. Notably, Zn can relieve tumor hypoxia for promoting the conversion of ALA to PpIX. Moreover, Zn acts as a cofactor of rationally designed DNAzyme for silencing excessive ferrochelatase (FECH; which catalyzes PpIX into photoinactive Heme), cooperatively promoting the exclusive accumulation of PpIX in mitochondria via the "open source and reduced expenditure" manner. Subsequently, the photodynamic effects derived from PpIX lead to the damage and release of mtDNA and activate the innate immune response. In addition, the released Zn further enhances the mtDNA/cGAS-STING pathway mediated innate immunity. The ALA&Dz@ZIF-PEG system induced 3 times more PpIX accumulation than ALA-loaded liposome, significantly enhancing tumor regression in xenograft tumor models.
Topics: Humans; Photosensitizing Agents; DNA, Catalytic; Cell Line, Tumor; Aminolevulinic Acid; Photochemotherapy; Mitochondria; DNA, Mitochondrial; Nanoparticles; Immunotherapy; Protoporphyrins
PubMed: 37438324
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c03308