Title of article :
The Potential of 5-aminolevulinic Acid as a Contrast Agent in MR Imaging: Challenges and Opportunities
Author/Authors :
Ebrahimpour, A Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering - Faculty of Medicine - Tehran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran , Riahi Alam, N Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering - Faculty of Medicine - Tehran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran , Khoobi, M Department of Pharmaceutical Biomaterials and Medical Biomaterials Research Center (MBRC) - Faculty of Pharmacy - Tehran University of Medical Sciences - Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Abstract :
Nowadays, 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) plays an influential role in the detection
of malignant tumors as a photodynamic diagnosis tool. Nevertheless, an outlook
regarding 5-ALA applicability in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently
emerged. Many studies confirmed the impact of 5-ALA on promoting intracellular
Heme synthesis and iron metabolism, which support the capability of 5-ALA in MRI
owing to the susceptibility effect of iron. Therefore, concerning the high safety and high
affinity of 5-ALA to tumor cells, 5-ALA-based MRI could be an intriguing method for
malignant foci identification.
Keywords :
Transferrin receptor , 5-aminolevulinic acid , Magnetic resonance imaging , Protoporphyrin IX , Cellular iron metabolism
Journal title :
Journal of Sciences Islamic Republic of Iran
