Radiation Therapy Combined With 5-Aminolevulinic Acid: Effect on Primary Human Meningioma Cells.

AIMS: Radiation therapy (RT) is a standard treatment for certain meningiomas; however, it does not consistently achieve favorable favourable outcomes. Therefore, discovering new agents that can enhance the radiosensitivity of meningiomas is of considerable interest. Evidence suggests that 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) acts both as a photosensitiszer and a radiosensitiszer. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combining 5-ALA with RT on primary meningioma cells, which were obtained from eight patients during surgery.

METHODS

Primary meningioma cells were characterized by immunocytochemistry using specific markers. Cell proliferation following treatment with 5-ALA, with or without RT, was evaluated using the WST-1 assay. Accumulation of protoporphyrin IX was evaluated fluorometrically.

RESULTS

Our in vitro investigations indicate that whilste 5-ALA alone reduced cell proliferation, the combination of 5-ALA and RT resulted in more pronounced cell growth inhibition. The cytotoxic doses of 5-ALA markedly varied amongst cells from different meningioma patients. Furthermore, the study revealed that 5-ALA effectively induced the accumulation of protoporphyrin IX, a highly pro-apoptotic and fluorescent photosensitiszer, within the meningioma cells.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that 5-ALA significantly enhances the antitumor antitumour effects of RT, offering a new option for further exploration of 5-ALA combined with RT as a valuable strategy for meningioma treatment.