Photochemotherapeutic method using 5-aminolevulinic acid and other precursors of endogenous porphyrins
AssigneeQueen's University at Kingston
InventorsJames C. Kennedy, Roy H. Pottier
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Abstract
Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.
Claims21
A method for treating in a human patient a non-malignant skin lesion that preferentially accumulates a photoactivatable porphyrin, comprising administering to said human patient in need thereof an effective amount of a precursor of protoporphyrin IX thereby accumulating therapeutic levels of said protoporphyrin IX, and thereafter exposing said skin lesion to light capable of photoactivating said protoporphyrin IX.
A method for detecting in a human patient a non-malignant skin lesion that preferentially accumulates a photoactivatable porphyrin, comprising administering to said human patient in need thereof an effective amount of a precursor of protoporphyrin IX thereby accumulating therapeutic levels of said protoporphyrin IX, and thereafter exposing said skin lesion to light capable of photoactivating said protoporphyrin IX.
A method of treating a non-malignant skin lesion in a human patient in which protoporphyrin IX is produced from 5-aminolevulinic acid, comprising exposing said skin lesion in said human patient to a wavelength of light within the photoactivating spectrum of protoporphyrin Ix.
The method of any of claims 1-2 or 6, wherein said wavelength of light is 350-640 nm.
A photosensitizing treatment method for treating non-malignant lesions of the skin in a human patient comprising
- (a)administering an agent which is not a photosensitizer but induces the synthesis of protoporphyrin IX in vivo and then
- (b)exposing the lesions of the skin to a wavelength of light within the photoactivating spectrum of protoporphyrin IX.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.