Photodynamic therapy: regulation of porphyrin synthesis and hydrolysis from ALA esters

Advances in 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Priming to Enhance Plant Tolerance to Abiotic Stress

Priming is an adaptive strategy that improves plant defenses against biotic and abiotic stresses. Stimuli from chemicals, abiotic cues, and pathogens can trigger the establishment of priming state. Priming with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a potential plant growth regulator, can enhance plant tolerance to the subsequent abiotic stresses, including salinity, drought, heat, cold, and UV-B. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the remarkable effects of ALA priming on plant physiology remain to be elucidated. Here, we summarize recent progress made in the stress tolerance conferred by ALA priming in plants and provide the underlying molecular and physiology mechanisms of this phenomenon. Priming with ALA results in changes at the physiological, transcriptional, metabolic, and epigenetic levels, and enhances photosynthesis and antioxidant capacity, as well as nitrogen assimilation, which in turn increases the resistance of abiotic stresses. However, the signaling pathway of ALA, including receptors as well as key components, is currently unknown, which hinders the deeper understanding of the defense priming caused by ALA. In the future, there is an urgent need to reveal the molecular mechanisms by which ALA regulates plant development and enhances plant defense with the help of forward genetics, multi-omics technologies, as well as genome editing technology.

Photodynamic therapy of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma cell lines mediated by 5-aminolevulinic acid and derivatives

The delta-amino acid 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), is the precursor of the endogenous photosensitiser Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), and is currently approved for Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) of certain superficial cancers. However, ALA-PDT is not very effective in diseases in which T-cells play a significant role. Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) is a group of non-Hodgkin malignant diseases, which includes mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS). In previous work, we have designed new ALA esters synthesised by three-component Passerini reactions, and some of them showed higher performance as compared to ALA. This work aimed to determine the efficacy as pro-photosensitisers of five new ALA esters of 2-hydroxy-N-arylacetamides (1f, 1 g, 1 h, 1i and 1 k) of higher lipophilicity than ALA in Myla cells of MF and HuT-78 cells of SS. We have also tested its effectiveness against ALA and the already marketed ALA methyl ester (Me-ALA) and ALA hexyl ester (He-ALA). Both cell Myla and SS cells were effectively and equally photoinactivated by ALA-PDT. Besides, the concentration of ALA required to induce half the maximal porphyrin synthesis was 209 μM for Myla and 169 μM for HuT-78 cells. As a criterion of efficacy, we calculated the concentration of the ALA derivatives necessary to induce half the plateau porphyrin values obtained from ALA. These values were achieved at concentrations 4 and 12 times lower compared to ALA, according to the derivative used. For He-ALA, concentrations were 24 to 25 times lower than required for ALA for inducing comparable porphyrin synthesis in both CTCL cells. The light doses for inducing 50% of cell death (LD50) for He-ALA, 1f, 1 g, 1 h and 1i were around 18 and 25 J/cm² for Myla and HuT-78 cells respectively, after exposure to 0.05 mM concentrations of the compounds. On the other hand, the LD50s for the compound 1 k were 40 and 57 J/cm² for Myla and HuT-78, respectively. In contrast, 0.05 mM of ALA and Me-ALA did not provoke photokilling since the concentration employed was far below the porphyrin saturation point for these compounds. Our results suggest the potential use of ALA derivatives for topical application in PDT treatment of MF and extracorporeal PDT for the depletion of activated T-cells in SS.

Application and design of esterase-responsive nanoparticles for cancer therapy

Nanoparticles have been developed for tumor treatment due to the enhanced permeability and retention effects. However, lack of specific cancer cells selectivity results in low delivery efficiency and undesired side effects. In that case, the stimuli-responsive nanoparticles system designed for the specific structure and physicochemical properties of tumors have attracted more and more attention of researchers. Esterase-responsive nanoparticle system is widely used due to the overexpressed esterase in tumor cells. For a rational designed esterase-responsive nanoparticle, ester bonds and nanoparticle structures are the key characters. In this review, we overviewed the design of esterase-responsive nanoparticles, including ester bonds design and nano-structure design, and analyzed the fitness of each design for different application. In the end, the outlook of esterase-responsive nanoparticle is looking forward.

Comparing desferrioxamine and light fractionation enhancement of ALA-PpIX photodynamic therapy in skin cancer

Background:

Aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-based photodynamic therapy (PDT) provides selective uptake and conversion of ALA into protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma, yet large response variations in effect are common between individuals. The aim of this study was to compare pre-treatment strategies that increase the therapeutic effect, including fractionated light delivery during PDT (fPDT) and use of iron chelator desferrioxamine (DFO), separately and combined.

Methods:

Optical measurements of fluorescence were used to quantify PpIX produced, and the total amount of PpIX photobleached as an implicit measure of the photodynamic dose. In addition, measurements of white light reflectance were used to quantify changes in vascular physiology throughout the PDT treatment.

Results:

fPDT produced both a replenishment of PpIX and vascular re-oxygenation during a 2 h dark interval between the first and second PDT light fractions. The absolute photodynamic dose was increased 57% by fPDT, DFO and their combination, as compared with PDT group (from 0.7 to 1.1). Despite that light fractionation increased oedema and scab formation during the week after treatment, no significant difference in long-term survival has been observed between treatment groups. However, outcomes stratified on the basis of measured photodynamic dose showed a significant difference in long-term survival.

Conclusions:

The assessment of implicit photodynamic dose was a more significant predictor of efficacy for ALA-PDT skin cancer treatments than prescription of an enhanced treatment strategy, likely because of high individual variation in response between subjects.

Synthesis of chemically diverse esters of 5-aminolevulinic acid for photodynamic therapy via the multicomponent Passerini reaction

A chemically diverse set of 5-aminolevulinic acid prodrugs were obtained via a Passerini reaction and studied as photodinamic agents in vitro.

Aminolevulinic acid dendrimers in photodynamic treatment of cancer and atheromatous disease

ALA dendrimers are taken up by caveolae-mediated endocytosis in macrophages. Intracellular ALA release gives rise to PpIX synthesis and subsequent photosensitization of key cells in atheromas and tumour diseases.

Differential sensitivity in cell lines to photodynamic therapy in combination with ABCG2 inhibition

BACKGROUND

ABCG2 is an ATP-binding cassette transporter protein which has a role in the regulation of endogenous protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) levels.

OBJECTIVE

To understand the influence of ABCG2 on porphyrin-based photodynamic therapy (PDT) and fluorescence diagnosis (FD), we examined the role of endogenous ABCG2 in four human cell lines from the epidermis (HaCaT keratinocytes), oesophagus (OE19 adenocarcinoma), brain (SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma) and bladder (HT1197 carcinoma).

METHODS

Cells were incubated with ALA or MAL in the presence or absence of the ABCG2 activity inhibitor Ko-143. Porphyrin accumulation was detected by spectrofluorimetric analysis and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with porphyrin localisation observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. PDT efficacy was assessed 24h post irradiation (1.5J/cm(2) red light) by the neutral red (NR) assay.

RESULTS

We show cell-specific differences when Ko-143 was co-incubated with ALA or, in particular with, MAL. Enhanced PDT-induced cell kill was shown in HaCaT, OE19 and HT1197 cells, but not SH-SY5Y cells and could be explained by porphyrin accumulation and expression of ABCG2. We have also found that despite high levels of intracellular PpIX, the OE19 cells were protected from phototoxic cell death by PpIX compartmentalisation. This could be reversed by Ko-143.

CONCLUSION

The results from this study show a possible cause of reduced sensitivity to ALA/MAL-PDT, with a potential solution to overcome this effect in certain tissue types. The potential to improve PDT with Ko-143 remains promising.

Homology modeling of human γ-butyric acid transporters and the binding of pro-drugs 5-aminolevulinic acid and methyl aminolevulinic acid used in photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a safe and effective method currently used in the treatment of skin cancer. In ALA-based PDT, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), or ALA esters, are used as pro-drugs to induce the formation of the potent photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). Activation of PpIX by light causes the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and toxic responses. Studies have indicated that ALA and its methyl ester (MAL) are taken up into the cells via γ-butyric acid (GABA) transporters (GATs). Uptake via GATs into peripheral sensory nerve endings may also account for one of the few adverse side effects of ALA-based PDT, namely pain. In the present study, homology models of the four human GAT subtypes were constructed using three x-ray crystal structures of the homologous leucine transporter (LeuT) as templates. Binding of the native substrate GABA and the possible substrates ALA and MAL was investigated by molecular docking of the ligands into the central putative substrate binding sites in the outward-occluded GAT models. Electrostatic potentials (ESPs) of the putative substrate translocation pathway of each subtype were calculated using the outward-open and inward-open homology models. Our results suggested that ALA is a substrate of all four GATs and that MAL is a substrate of GAT-2, GAT-3 and BGT-1. The ESP calculations indicated that differences likely exist in the entry pathway of the transporters (i.e. in outward-open conformations). Such differences may be exploited for development of inhibitors that selectively target specific GAT subtypes and the homology models may hence provide tools for design of therapeutic inhibitors that can be used to reduce ALA-induced pain.

Realizing metalloporphyrin functionalization of 4-vinylpyridine copolymer via axial coordination reaction

Cobalt tetra(para-chlorophenyl)porphyrin ( CoTCPP ) and zinc tetraphenyl porphyrin ( ZnTPP ) were linked on the side chains of the copolymer of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) and styrene (St), P(4VP-co-St), via axial coordination reactions, respectively, and the metalloporphyrin-functionalized macromolecules, CoTCPP -P(4VP-co-St) and ZnTPP -P(4VP-co-St), were prepared. Their chemical structures were characterized by FTIR and 1H NMR. The spectral properties of the two macromolecular axial coordination complexes were mainly studied, and their photophysical behavior were discussed in depth. The experimental results show that the metalloporphyrin-functionalized macromolecules, CoTCPP -P(4VP-co-St) and ZnTPP -P(4VP-co-St), can be prepared favorably through axial coordination reaction with the side pyridine groups of the copolymer P(4VP-co-St) as ligands. The two complexes have characteristic spectra similar to that of the small molecular metalloporphyrins, CoTCPP and ZnTPP , respectively. At the same time, they also display the characteristic spectroscopic property of axial coordination complexes: the electronic adsorption spectra of CoTCPP -P(4VP-co-St) and ZnTPP -P(4VP-co-St) red-shifted obviously as compared to that of CoTCPP and ZnTPP , and the fluorescence emission of ZnTPP -P(4VP-co-St) blue-shifted apparently with respect to that of ZnTPP . For CoTCPP -P(4VP-co-St) and ZnTPP -P(4VP-co-St), some polymer effects were found: (1) the bonding degree of the small molecular metalloporphyrin, CoTCPP or ZnTPP , on the side chains of the copolymer P(4VP-co-St) has a limit value because of the steric hindrance and there is a bonding degree difference between the actual value and the theoretical value; (2) for ZnTPP -P(4VP-co-St), slight energy transfer between adjacent ZnTPP units on an identical macromolecule occurs, leading to slight static quench of the fluorescence emission as the bonding density of ZnTPP units on the side chains of the copolymer P(4VP-co-St) reaches a certain value.

Analysis of differential PDT effect in rat bladder tumor models according to concentrations of intravesical hexyl-aminolevulinate

The hexylester of 5-aminolevulinic acid (HAL) is a very efficient precursor of the photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Our previous study, performed in rat orthotopic bladder tumors, indicated an opposite effect of HAL/PpIX-PDT according to HAL concentration. The present study investigated possible reasons for this differential effect considering the impact of extracted amounts of PpIX in normal and tumor bearing bladders along with PpIX distribution in distinctive histopathological layers. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of tumor and normal bladder tissues after 8 mM and 16 mM HAL instillation showed that PpIX was the main porphyrin species. The PpIX production in tumor bladders instilled with 8 mM HAL was significantly higher than after 16 mM HAL. Fluorescence confocal microscopy demonstrated a punctuate bright fluorescence pattern in tumor zones of bladders instilled with 8 mM HAL, whereas a more diffuse cytoplasmatic fluorescence distribution was observed after 16 mM HAL instillation. Immunofluorescence staining together with transmission electron microscopy showed severe mitochondrial damage in tumor zones of bladders treated with 8 mM HAL/PpIX PDT, with intact mitochondria in tumor zones of bladders treated with 16 mM HAL/PpIX PDT. We conclude that the differential response to HAL/PpIX PDT in function of HAL concentrations could be attributed to diminished PpIX synthesis and differential intracellular localisation of PpIX. Mitochondria were shown to be the critical photodamaged sites of HAL/PpIX PDT and as such tissue sensitivity to treatment can be estimated through investigation of intracellular PpIX distribution.

Macromolecular delivery of 5-aminolaevulinic acid for photodynamic therapy using dendrimer conjugates

Intracellular porphyrin generation following administration of 5-aminolaevulinic acid (5-ALA) has been widely used in photodynamic therapy. However, cellular uptake of 5-ALA is limited by its hydrophilicity, and improved means of delivery are therefore being sought. Highly branched polymeric drug carriers known as dendrimers present a promising new approach to drug delivery because they have a well-defined structure capable of incorporating a high drug payload. In this work, a dendrimer conjugate was investigated, which incorporated 18 aminolaevulinic acid residues attached via ester linkages to a multipodent aromatic core. The ability of the dendrimer to deliver and release 5-ALA intracellularly for metabolism to the photosensitizer, protoporphyrin IX, was studied in the transformed PAM 212 murine keratinocyte and A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cell lines. Up to an optimum concentration of 0.1 mmol/L, the dendrimer was significantly more efficient compared with 5-ALA for porphyrin synthesis. The intracellular porphyrin fluorescence levels showed good correlation with cellular phototoxicity following light exposure, together with minimal dark toxicity. Cellular uptake of the dendrimer occurs through endocytic routes predominantly via a macropinocytosis pathway. In conclusion, macromolecular dendritic derivatives are capable of delivering 5-ALA efficiently to cells for sustained porphyrin synthesis.

Study on synthesis and biological activity of a galactosylated piperazinyl porphyrin

In order to obtain an carcinoma-selective drug, the synthesis and characterization of 5,10,15,20-tetra[4-(4'-galactosylpiperazinyl)phenyl]porphyrin (TGPP) is reported. The biological activity on cancer cells and the pharmacokinetics are also reported as preliminary results showing a very high liver to skin ratio and short retention time in tissues, and thus promising activity in photodynamic therapy.