Pharmacokinetic of ALA and h-ALA induced porphyrins in the models Mycobacterium phlei and Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of bacterial strains presents an attractive potential alternative to antibiotic therapies. Success is dependent on the effective accumulation in bacterial cells of photochemical substances called photosensitizers, which are usually porphyrins. It is also important to know the distribution of the photosensitizer in bacteria at the microscopic level.