Protoporphyrin IX disodium, as a radiation sensitizer, enhances the production of ROS and induces DNA damage even under hypoxic conditions. It also acts as a photosensitizer, undergoing direct degradation through photobleaching upon light exposure. This compound accumulates in rat tumor cells following administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). When activated with a peak wavelength of 405 nm, Protoporphyrin IX disodium selectively improves basal cell carcinoma. It shows promise in pharmacological research of sonodynamic and photodynamic therapy for cancers such as bladder cancer and nodular basal cell carcinoma.

Protoporphyrin IX disodium 在不同条件下对生物体有着显著影响。当浓度达到3.6 nmol/g 组织时，该化合物能在光照作用下导致正常大鼠结肠黏膜的坏死。与此同时，当其浓度增至6.6 nmol/g 肿瘤时，可显著延缓照射后大鼠肿瘤的生长。此外，在浓度范围为0-25 μM、处理时间为2小时的实验条件下，Protoporphyrin IX disodium 能迅速提升 Hela 细胞核中的 G4 水平。

经单次静脉注射Aminolevulinic acid (300 mg/kg)，于给药后3小时，观察到大鼠在肝脏和肠道的Protoporphyrin IX disodium浓度达到最高值（约6.3 nmol/g组织），而在主动脉和食道中的含量较低，分别为4.3 nmol/g组织和2.1 nmol/g组织。