PHOTOBIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF MARMESIN (5-B-HYDROXYISOPROPYL-4–5 DIHYDROFUROCOUMARIN) IN CHINESE HAMSTER V79 CELLS |
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| Authors: | Anthony O Uwaifo † † Charles Heidelberger |
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| Institution: | University of Southern California, Cancer Research Laboratory, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA |
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| Abstract: | Abstract— Marmesin was isolated from the medicinal plant, Afraegle paniculata. Its cytotoxicity and mutagenicity in Chinese hamster V79 cells when sensitized to near ultraviolet (NUV) and long wavelength ultraviolet light or black light (BL) were assayed.
Marmesin was extremely cytotoxic in the dark. This cytotoxicity was photoenhanced in NUV and BL; the photoenhanced lethality being higher in NUV than in BL. The LD50 of marmesin under NUV and BL photosensitization were 0.002 μ M and (0.012 μ M ), respectively. In the absence of NUV and BL, marmesin's LD50 was 0.013 μ M . NUV and BL without marmesin were not significantly cytotoxic at the fluence rates of 0.29 W/m2 and 4.2 W/m2, respectively, for up to 20 min. In contrast to the observed high cytotoxicity of marmesin, its mutagenicity at the HGPRT locus (AzGr) was weak. The implication of this result in the high incidence of skin cancer in Nigeria in which A. paniculata is used as a medicinal plant is discussed. |
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