Chemical Properties
5-Aminolevulinic acid methyl ester hydrochloride is white powder
Uses
5-Aminolevulinic acid methyl ester hydrochloride is used in photodynamic therapy.
Definition
ChEBI: The hydrochloride salt of methyl 5-aminolevulinate. A prodrug, it is metabolised to protoporphyrin IX, a photosensitizer, and is used in the photodynamic treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer (including basal cell carcinoma). Topical application results in
an accumulation of protoporphyrin IX in the skin lesions to which the cream has been applied. Subsequent illumination with red light results in the generation of toxic singlet oxygen that destroys cell membranes and thereby kills the tumour cells.
brand name
Metvixia
(PhotoCure, Norway).
Biochem/physiol Actions
Methyl δ-aminolevulinate (methyl-ALA, MAL) and 5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) are commonly used in photosentizer reagents for photodynamic therapy to treat conditions such as Acne vulgaris and hypertrophic scarring.
