Pharmaceutics and drug delivery aspects of heme and porphyrin therapy.

The importance of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins as therapeutic drugs has increased significantly over the last decade. This review highlights some of the challenges faced by pharmaceutical scientists in formulating these drugs into stable, effective, and safe dosage forms. Most activity in the clinic has focused on three areas: photodynamic therapy of cancer (e.g., hematoporphyrin derivatives), porphyrias and hematological diseases (e.g., heme), and various forms of jaundice (e.g., tin porphyrins). The biodistribution, stability, aggregation, toxicology, and analytical methodology of porphyrin drugs are all important considerations in the pharmaceutical development of porphyrin drugs. The utility of delivery systems such as liposomes hold promise of increasing the therapeutic potential of these drugs. Future prospects for therapeutic applications of porphyrin drugs are also discussed.