Quantitative spectroscopic analysis of 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced protoporphyrin IX fluorescence intensity in diffusely infiltrating astrocytomas

The fluorescence of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) induced endogenously by 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) administration has recently been used for the intraoperative visualization of glioma tissues. To increase the sensitivity of photodetection, the emission spectra of 5-ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence was quantitatively measured in tissues taken from six cases of en bloc resected diffusely infiltrating astrocytomas (2 diffuse astrocytomas, 2 anaplastic astrocytomas, and 2 glioblastomas), and the correlation assessed between the fluorescence intensity and histological features. A total of 65 slices were analyzed by ex vivo spectroscopy. The ratio of the peak emission intensity to reflected excitation intensity or fluorescence intensity ratio was less than 0.001 for all 36 non-tumor tissues. The tissues with glioblastoma morphology had a fluorescence intensity ratio in excess of 0.090. The spectroscopic fluorescence intensity was positively correlated with the MIB-1 labeling index as an indicator of proliferation activity, the CD31-microvessel density as a pan-endothelial marker, and the vascular endothelial growth factor expression as an angiogenetic factor. The MIB-1 proliferation index was the most powerful determinant, suggesting that higher cell proliferation may govern preferential PpIX accumulation in glioma cells. This preliminary study suggests that spectroscopic analysis may be useful for optimizing the removal of diffuse gliomas.