Effect of oil-in-water emulsions on 5-aminolevulinic acid uptake and metabolism to PpIX in cultured MCF-7 cells.

Purpose: To identify the optimal vehicle for fast and efficient cellular production of the photosensitizer, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), upon administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA).
Methods: ALA in various oil/water o/w emulsions was applied to the human mammary epithelial cell line (MCF-7) cultured in microplates. Upon incubation for 14 h, the accumulated amount of PpIX was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. Variables such as the pH and concentration of the emulsions, the temperature and duration of incubation were examined along with the importance of ALA concentration and the presence of endocytosis inhibitors.
Results: An increase in the amount of produced PpIX was observed with an increase in extracellular pH, incubation temperature, and ALA concentration. A saturable mechanism of PpIX accumulation was evident, mainly as a result of the uptake mechanism for ALA. Some of the o/w emulsions increased the amount of intracellular PpIX, and the results indicated that this was not due to an increased k(m) of the extracellular ALA to intracellular PpIX conversion, but to the increased endocytotic uptake in the presence of the emulsions. In general, the increase in PpIX in the presence of emulsions relative to the control was more pronounced after 1 h as compared to after 2-4 h.
Conclusions: The formation of PpIX in MCF-7 cells exposed to ALA is improved by the presence of certain o/w emulsions, which could be explained by endocytosis.