PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF THE PSORALENS
PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF THE PSORALENS
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DOI:
10.1021/tx00008a001
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发表时间:
1989-03-01
影响因子:
4.1
通讯作者:
HEARST, JE
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
HEARST, JE
Psoralen-containing plants have been used since the be-ginnings of written history in the cures of various skin disorders. This is not terribly surprising, considering the large numbers of plants that contain psoralens. Identi-fication of the active plantsin these cures and recognition of the need for the use of sunlight actually occurred much later, perhaps between 300 BC and 600 AD (1). The physiological activity of this family of compounds was apparently described in old Arabic literature (1400 BC), where reference was made to the use of fruits of Ammi majus as a remedy for leukoderma (2). The purified compounds are used in the treatment of psoriasis and vitiligo (2, 3). When psoralens are administered, either topically to the skin or orally, they sensitize the skin to near-ultraviolet light, inducing tanning and sunburn. Such treatment results in remission of the symptoms of psoriasis. The suggestion that psoralens photoreact with DNA and result in the cross-linkage of the two strands of the DNA helix first appeared in 1971 (4, 5). The synthetic organic chemistry resulting in modified psoralens has been ex-tensive (6). The most commonly used psoralens are shown in Figure 1. The greater solubilities in water provided by the hydroxymethyl substitution in HMT and the amino-methyl substitution in AMT are major factors in the greater efficiency of the photochemistry using these com-pounds relative to thenatural products. Isaacs et al.(6)