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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1976

[The molecular mechanism of the photochemical reaction of furocoumarins with nucleic acids].

1. The photoreaction of furocoumarins with cell substrates of high molecular weight are limited on nucleic acids. Both molecules are jointed together via a cyclobutane ring system. The 5.6 double bonds of thydine or uracil and the 3.4 and/or 4',5' positions of furocoumarins act as binding sites. Proteins, polysaccharides, and lipides behave quite inert. 2. The photoreactions of cancerogenic hydrocarbons with nucleic acids are similar to those of furocoumarins. 3. Photochemically induced cross-links of DNA strands by furocoumarins are to a high degree dependent on the secondary structure of nucleic acids. Double stranded DNA is much more favoured to bind furocoumarins than single stranded DNA or RNA. 4. Lethal and mutagenic effects in cells caused by photoreactions between furocoumarins and DNA are well explainable on molecular level. It consists a satisfactory correlation between skin sensitization and binding tendency of furocoumarins to DNA. Possibilities of repair of furocoumarine induced DNA damages are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Drug-protein interaction: plasma protein binding of furocoumarins.

The binding of six furocoumarins (angelicin, psoralen, 8-methoxypsoralen, 5-methoxypsoralen, 8-methylpsoralen, 4,5'8-trimethylpsoralen) to human serum and human serum albumin was studied by equilibrium dialysis using tritium labelled compounds. The results indicated that in serum all furocoumarins are bound mostly by albumin, the extent of binding being related to the structure of the furocoumarins; at any rate, high values of the bound drug, ranging from 84 to 97% were observed. The percentage of binding is strictly related to the water solubility of the compounds. A limited number of binding sites, n = 1-2.4, were detected in the albumin molecule, indicating a high specificity in the binding process. The association constants of the furocoumarins to albumin. Ka, ranged from 1.2 X 10(4) M-1 (8-methoxypsoralen) to 1.9 X 10(5) M-1 (4,5'8-trimethylpsoralen).

Biological Availability↗
PubMed1979

Diethylaminoalkyloxycoumarin and -furocoumarin derivatives.

Four series of diethylaminoalkoxyderivatives of coumarin (at the positions 4 and 7) and furocoumarin (at the positions 5 and 8) have been prepared, in order to study their complexing capacity with DNA, these compounds having a double possibility of interaction, that is intercalation of the aromatic moiety between two base pairs and formation of an electrostatic bond between their terminal amino group and a phosphoric group of DNA. Some biological effects connected with the interaction with DNA have also been studied. The results obtained showed that coumarin derivatives have a low complexing capacity and lack any biological activity. The furocoumarin derivatives showed a markedly increased complexing capacity both in respect to the coumarin derivatives and to the parent furocoumarin (psoralen, as well as its 5- and 8-methoxy derivatives) and proved able to inhibit DNA and RNA synthesis in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, as well as the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and of various strains of Escherichia coli. This activity was generally low but was constantly higher in 5-than in 8-derivatives, the same behavior being found with regard to the complexing capacity with DNA. A good correlation between the ability to form complexes with DNA and the capacity to inhibit cells growth was clearly evidenced.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Mutagenicity of cross-links and monoadducts of furocoumarins (psoralen and angelicin) induced by 360-nm radiation in excision-repair-defective and radiation-insensitive strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The furocoumarin psoralen can form both monoadducts and cross-links with DNA when combined with 360-nm radiation, whereas the analog angelicin can form monoadducts only. Psoralen plus 360-nm radiation causes mutation induction with a slope of 2 (log-log plot) for a radiation-insensitive strain, whereas angelicin action with 360-nm radiation displays a slope of unity. For a radiation-sensitive mutant defective in the excision-repair pathway, the actions of both angelicin and psoralen plus 360-nm radiation exhibit one-target kinetics, but at higher exposures psoralen plus 360-nm radiation assumes a slope of 2. The excision-repair-defective strain is considerably more sensitive to the furocoumarins plus 360-nm radiation than is the radiation-insensitive strain, both for killing and mutation induction. The simplest explanation for the data is that both cross-links and monoadducts, formed by furocoumarins with DNA when exposed to 360-nm radiation, are capable of inducing mutations, and that monoadducts are repaired 20 times more efficiently than cross-links by the excision-repair pathway.

DNA Repair↗
PubMed1975

Structural specificity in the lethal and mutagenic activity of furocoumarins in yeast cells.

Using monofunctional (Angelicin) and bifunctional furocoumarins (Psoralen and 8 Methoxypsoralen) plus 365 nm light it is shown that both damages, the induced monoadducts and/or crosslinks in DNA, provoke lethal and mutgenic effects in haploid and diploid cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Bifunctional furocoumarins are about 20 times more effective in cell killing than Angelicin. Diploid cells are always more resistant than haploid cells. Dark repair (agar haolding) increases survival. This effect can be at least in part correlated to the release of bound material from DNA in dark repair conditions. Bifunctional psoralens (10 mug/ml) are at least 10-fold more effective in inducing nuclear gene black mutations (his- to HIS+) than Angelicin (10 mug/ml) plus 365 nm light or 254 nm ultraviolet light. In contrast cytoplasmic "petite" (delta-) mutations are about as frequently induced by Angelicin plus 365 nm light as by 254 nm UV light. Bifunctional furocoumarins are less effective. The frequency of cytoplasmic "petite" mutations per survivors decreases during dark repair conditions more efficiently after Angelicin than after Psoralen plus 365 nm light treatment.

Cell Survival↗
PubMed1979

lambda-Prophage induction by furocoumarin photosensitization.

Furocoumarin photosensitization induces lambda-prophage from lysogenic Escherichia coli cells; this effect is clearly due to the photoreaction that furocoumarins give with DNA, and it appears connected with the formation of monoadducts rather than of diadducts (cross-links).

Coliphages↗
PubMed1978

Frameshift mutations in bacteria produced in the dark by several furocoumarins; absence of activity of 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen.

4 furocoumarins, namely psoralen (P), 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP) and angelicin (A) were tested for dark mutagenesis in E. coli lac-. Three compounds; P, 8-MOP and A were shown to be weak frame-shift mutagens. TMP, surprisingly in view of its very active photosensitizing action, was found to be non-mutagenic. These results are discussed in relation to the photosensitizing action of the furocoumarins.

Darkness↗
PubMed1976

Conformational changes of nucleic acids and poly (d(A-T)-d(A-T)) caused by photoaddition of furocoumarins.

DNA's of various AT content, poly[d(A-T)-d(A-T)], and double-stranded RNA were irradiated with UV light at 365 nm in the presence of linear (xanthotoxin) or angular (angelicin) furocoumarins. The covalent photobinding is strongly dependent on the spatial arrangement of furocoumarin molecules at the polymer conformation. CD measurements demonstrate that the bifunctional photochemical binding of xanthotoxin with double-stranded DNA's and poly[d(A-T)-d(A-T)] is accompanied by conformational changes which involve probably decreasing helical twisting of the double helix. This effect is greatly enhanced with increasing AT content. The formation of A-like structures is very unlikely since the B leads to A transition induced by ethanol addition was found to be strongly suppressed in xanthotoxin photoreacted DNA. The B-type helix appears to be the most sensitive conformation with minor restriction to produce photochemically induced cross-links.

Binding Sites↗
PubMedDate not supplied

T2 phage sensitization by linear and angular furocoumarins.

T2 bacteriophage sensitization has been studied using two furocoumarins capable of linking covalently to DNA to the same extent but producing different damages, psoralen and 4,5'-dimethylangelicin. Psoralen is a well-known linear furocoumarin capable of inducing in DNA both monoadducts and cross-links; 4,5'-dimethylangelicin is a new angular compound known as a pure monofunctional reagent. In the sensitization of T2 mature virions both drugs proved very active, yielding survival curves practically superimposable; on the contrary, in the experiments with the T2 vegetative form, i. e. its DNA inside the host, 4,5'-dimethylangelicin resulted much less effective, resembling the picture observed in the inactivation of the host bacteria. This result did not appear related to an enhancement of DNA repair by a Weigle effect. The different killing activity of 4,5'-dimethylangelicin can be explained supposing that this drug is capable of inducing cross-links in T2 DNA inside the virus core, in which it exists in a very folded form, but not in the same DNA after injection into the host bacteria.

DNA, Viral↗
PubMed1977

ESR and optical absorption evidence for free radical involvement in the photosensitizing action of furocoumarin derivatives and for their singlet oxygen production.

Frozen aqueous solutions of thymine and its derivatives were irradiated with visible light (lambda greater than 320 nm) in the presence of various furocoumarins. ESR analysis revealed the induction of hydrogen adduct free radicals at C-6 position of thymine, only with those furocoumarin derivatives which show a skin-photosensitizing ability. It has been shown, moreover, that the photocycloaddition of psoralen to thymine, which is responsible for the biological effects of this dye, is inhibited when the induction of free radicals in thymine moiety has been prevented by electron scavengers. It is suggested that the free radicals observed could be involved in the biological photosensitization. The mechanism of free radical generation and singlet oxygen production by furoccoumarins were also investigated.

Coumarins↗
PubMed1979

[Experimental bases and primary trials of photochemotherapy of psoriasis by a non-cancerigenic monofunctional furocoumarin, 3-carbethoxypsoralen].

The carcinogenic risk of the photochemotherapy (PUVA) with bifunctional furocoumarins such as 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) forming cross-links in cellular DNA has initiated a search for active but less dangerous psoralens. The 3-carbethoxypsoralen (3-CPs), studied in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been very photoactive on DNA forming only monoadditions to DNA. In Mice it was demonstrated that after local or intra-peritoneal administration, 3-CPs is non toxic, non erythematogenic and non carcinogenic in contrast to 8-MOP. A limited study on ten psoriatic patients has shown that after local application 3-CPs exhibits about the same therapeutic activity as 8-MOP.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Studies on the photosensitizing properties of angelicin, an angular furocoumarin forming only monofunctional adducts with the pyrimidine bases of DNA.

The bioligical photosensitizing properties of furocoumarins are due to the formation of adducts with the pyrimidine bases of DNA under irradiation with long wavelength ultraviolet light. The greatest importance is attributed to the difunctional adducts, which form cross-linkings between the 2 strands of DNA. As angelicin, photoreacting with DNA, forms only monofunctional adducts, and therefore no cross-linkings, its photosensitizing properties have been studied in order to evaluate the ability of monofunctional adducts to produce biological effects. The results obtained studying the inhibition of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis in Ehrlich ascite tumor cells after irradiation in the presence of angelicin and psoralen (for a comparison), and the inhibition of the ability of identically treated cells to transmit the tumor showed a remarkable ability of monofunctional adducts to produce biological effects.

Animals↗