Published in:
01-03-2000 | Adis New Drug Profile
Topical Aminolevulinic Acid HCl
A Viewpoint by Edward Jeffes III
Author:
Edward Jeffes III
Published in:
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology
|
Issue 2/2000
Login to get access
Excerpt
Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a new class of photosensitizer that can be used in photodynamic therapy (PDT). ALA is a prodrug that is metabolized by the proliferating target cell into protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). PpIX is photoactivated by light (from 405nm to 635nm) to kill the target cell. This approach has been employed to treat a variety of skin neoplasms (squamous cell carcinomas and basal cell carcinomas), and actinic keratosis. …