A review of BF-200 ALA for the photodynamic treatment of mild-to-moderate actinic keratosis

Abstract

BF-200 ALA is a combination of a nanoscale-lipid vesicle formulation and the prodrug 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). The nanoemulsion stabilizes the prodrug and enhances its penetration through the stratum corneum. It has shown excellent therapeutic results in both lesion and field-directed photodynamic therapy of actinic keratosis (AK). AK is an early form of epidermal neoplasia and a precursor of invasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. It is characterized by the combination of visible neoplastic lesions and surrounding tissue also harboring tumorigenic UV-induced mutations: a concept called field cancerization. A selective, field-directed treatment is ideal to meet the requirements of field change. Here, we review the clinical data on BF-200 ALA for AK along with a summary of molecular mechanisms and future perspectives.

Keywords: 5-ALA; BF-200 ALA; actinic keratosis; daylight PDT (DL-PDT); field cancerization; field-directed treatment; light source; light spectrum; nanoemulsion; photodynamic therapy (PDT); simulated daylight-PDT (SDL-PDT).