Description
5-Aminolevulinic acid hydro-chloride is an amino acid that belongs to ketocarbonic acids. It is increasingly converted into a red fluorescent molecule in tumor cells. This accumulates in tumor cells about 4 times more than in healthy cells. The substance is a photosensitizer, it can form oxygen radicals with light energy. These radicals destroy the cell, which is why 5-aminoleivulinic acid is used, for example, in skin carcinomas caused by UV radiation.