THE ROLE OF UROCANIC ACID IN UV-INDUCED IMMUNOSUPPRESSION: RECENT ADVANCES (1992–1994)

Abstract— Cis - urocanic acid (UCA), formed in the epidermis by UV irradiation of trans-UCA , has been implicated as a mediator of the immunosuppression induced by UV exposure of the skin. This review covers recent work in which the wavelength dependence of cis-UCA formation, the interaction of UCA isomers with DNA, the effects of UCA isomers on the immune system and their interaction with histamine are examined. Results are frequently conflicting, particularly when considering the possible mode of action of cis -UCA but, overall, a multifaceted role for UCA in immunomodulation by UV radiation is substantiated.     

STRUCTURE OF UROCANIC ACID PHOTODIMERS

Abstract— U.V. irradiation of trans -urocanic acid frozen in an ice matrix results in trans, trans, trans -2,4-di-imidazolyl-1,3-cyclobutanedicarboxylic acid from pH 8.0 solutions; or cis, trans, cis -3, 4-di-imidazolyl-1, 2-cyclobutanedicarboxylic acid from pH 5.9 solutions.     

UROCANIC ACID PHOTOBIOLOGY. PHOTOCYCLOADDITION OF N,N-DIMETHYLTHYMINE TO UROCANIC ACID*

Abstract— Photolysis of N,N-dimethylthymine (DMT) and urocanic acid (UA) gives rise to two isolable cyclobutane adducts. N,N-dimethylthymine also photosensitizes UA E / Z isomerization. Neither phenomenon is affected by a triplet quencher, and ¹DMT* is proposed as the likely reactive species. If so, prior complexation of DMT and UA would be necessary in order for their interaction to be competitive with DMT radiationless decay. These observations are potentially related to the effect of UA on viral DNA described in the following paper.     

PHOTOSENSITIZED INACTTVATION OF INFECTIOUS DNA BY UROCANIC ACID, INDOLEACRYLIC ACID AND RHODIUM COMPLEXES

Naked, infectious single-stranded (ss) and double-stranded (ds) DNA from phages SI3 and G4 were irradiated with 308 nm UV radiation in the absence and presence of several photobiologically active compounds: E - and Z -urocanic acid ( E - and Z -UA), their methyl esters ( E - and Z -MU), E - and Z-indoleacrylic acid ( E - and Z -IA), cis -dichlorobis(1,10-phenanthroline)rhodium(III) chloride (cDCBPR) and tris(1,10-phenanthroline)rhodium (III) perchlorate (TPR). E -urocanic acid protects against cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer formation in ssDNA but concomitantly photosensitizes the formation of other lesions that inactivate ssDNA. Z -urocanic acid also protects ssDNA against such dimerization but without the associated sensitized damage. The methyl ester isomers behave similarly. There is no such differential activity observed for the IA isomers, both of which sensitize the inactivation of ssDNA. Photostationary state mixtures of both UA and IA efficiently sensitize the inactivation of dsDNA, and cDCBPR strongly protects ssDNA from UV damage, while TPR is a significant sensitizer. Both of these metal complexes sensitize the inactivation of dsDNA slightly. For all compounds, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers were the predominant lethal lesions produced by sensitization of the dsDNA, but they were not the major lethal lesions created by sensitization of the ssDNA. In the case of dsDNA, both UA and IA created pyrimidine dimers with a high degree of potential for mutagenesis, as determined by an assay that monitors the frequency of mutations following the spontaneous deamination of cytosine in photodimers.     

TOPICAL UROCANIC ACID ENHANCES UV-INDUCED TUMOUR YIELD AND MALIGNANCY IN THE HAIRLESS MOUSE

Epidermal urocanic acid has been postulated to be the mediator of the specific state of immunosuppression induced by UV irradiation, by which UV-initiated tumour cells are able to evade normal recognition and can survive to grow progressively into malignant tumours. These experiments demonstrate that topical application of UV-irradiated urocanic acid systemically suppresses the contact type hypersensitivity response to oxazolone in hairless mice. In addition, topically applied urocanic acid markedly increases the overt tumour yield and the degree of malignancy in hairless mice exposed chronically to daily minimally erythemal doses of simulated solar UV light. Topical urocanic acid also increases the number of latent UV-initiated tumours, detectable by croton oil promotion. Therefore UV photoproducts of urocanic acid can both systemically suppress contact hypersensitivity in the epidermis, and also enhance early survival of UV-initiated tumour cells resulting in augmentation of UV photocarcinogenesis.     

Z/E PHOTOISOMERIZATION OF UROCANIC ACID*

The E ? Z photoisomerization of the title compound (UA) (a naturally occurring sunscreen) has been studied in aqueous solution. At a UA concentration of 6mM and using 313nm excitation, φ_E→z= 0.52, φ_Z→E= 0.47 and the photostationary state is 34% E. Under these conditions, loss of UA is minimal. Low energy triplet quenchers fail to impede the isomerization, but the reaction can be induced by several triplet sensitizers. The E_T for UA is estimated to be approximately 55 kcal/mol.     

UROCANIC ACID ANALOGUES AND THE SUPPRESSION OF THE DELAYED TYPE HYPERSENSITIVITY RESPONSE TO Herpes simplex VIRUS

Ultraviolet irradiated urocanic acid (4-imidazoleacrylic acid) containing a mixture of cis- and trans-isomers has been shown previously to induce suppression of the delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in a murine model of infection. The cis-isomer of urocanic acid was prepared and the cis- and trans-isomers of 2-methylurocanic acid. 2-pyrroleacrylic acid, 2-furanacrylic acid, 2-thiopheneacrylic acid, 3-thiopheneacrylic acid as well as dihydrourocanic acid and histamine. Each was applied at concentrations of 1 and 50 micrograms per mouse to the shaved dorsal skin and the mice were infected subcutaneously with HSV 5 h later. After 8-10 days the DTH response to the virus was measured by an ear swelling test. It was found that cis-urocanic acid was effective in suppressing the DTH response at levels of 1 microgram per mouse or less. The cis- and trans-isomers of 2-furanacrylic acid, 2-pyrroleacrylic acid and 2-thiopheneacrylic acid were also effective, with the cis- form generally being more active than trans, and 2-pyrroleacrylic acid being particularly potent. Cis- and trans-3-thiopheneacrylic acid, on the other hand, were only marginally immunosuppressive while neither isomer of 2-methylurocanic acid had any suppressive ability. Dihydrourocanic acid and histamine were also shown to suppress the DTH response. Thus the structural features necessary for urocanic acid and its analogues to act as mediators of UV-induced immunosuppression could be deduced and implications for their mechanism of action discussed.     

LANGMUIR MONOLAYERS OF TWO-HEADED SURFACTANTS CONTAINING THE UROCANIC ACID MOIETY

The properties of Langmuir layers made up of three bola-ampbiphiles having the general structure UA-C_n-UA, where UA denotes urocanic acid and C_n is an alkyl chain of varying length (n = 8, 12 and 16) and of a monopolar amphiphile (UAC₁₂) were investigated. The area per molecule at the air-water interface was measured. Moreover, a modeling study was performed to visualize the conformation of these compounds at the air / water interface. The pressure-area isotherm and the molecular modeling study indicate that a folded conformation is possible only for the UAC₁₆UA bola-amphiphile. This result could be connected to the ability of UAC₁₆UA to form micelles.     

DIETARY HISTIDINE INCREASES MOUSE SKIN UROCANIC ACID LEVELS AND ENHANCES UVB-INDUCED IMMUNE SUPPRESSION OF CONTACT HYPERSNSITIVITY

Urocanic Acid (UCA) exists in mammalian skin primarily as the trans isomer and is photoisomerized to cis UCA upon UVB absorption. Our previous studies indicated that the photoisomerization of UCA is the initiating event in UBV-induced suppression of cell-mediated immunity (tUCA----cUCA----immune suppression). The purpose of this study was to verify the role of UCA in UV-induced immune suppression of contact hypersensitivity (CHS) in BALB/c mice. Since UCA is a metabolite of the amino acid L-histidine, we reasoned that increased dietary levels of histidine should raise skin tUCA levels. If skin tUCA is the UVB photoreceptor for immune suppression, this increase should enhance UV-induced suppression of CHS. HPLC analysis of skin from BALB/c mice given a histidine-rich diet (10%) showed that the total amount of UCA is significantly higher in these animals than in mice fed a normal diet. Further, levels of suppression of CHS of 3% and 49% in control fed mice, induced by 4.8 and 7.2 kJ/m2 UVB were significantly increased to 21% and 71% respectively in histidine-fed animals at these same UVB doses. These findings provide additional support for the UCA model for immune suppression, and provide the first evidence that UV-induced immune suppression can be enhanced by a dietary component, L-histidine.     

COMPARATIVE POTENCY OF BROAD-BAND AND NARROW-BAND PHOTOTHERAPY SOURCES TO INDUCE EDEMA, SUNBURN CELLS AND UROCANIC ACID PHOTOISOMERIZATION IN HAIRLESS MOUSE SKIN

The Philips TL01 narrow-band (311–313 nm) fluorescent lamp provides effective phototherapy for psoriasis and atopic eczema while emitting less erythemogenic radiation than conventional broad-band ( e.g . Philips TL12; 270–350 nm) sources. We studied the potency of TL01 and TL12 radiation to induce edema and sunburn cells (SBC) and to photoisomerize naturally occumng trans- urocanic acid (UCA) to cis -UCA in hairless mouse skin. Cis -UCA has immunosuppressive properties and is a putative mediator of UV-induced suppression of immune responses. For each source, there was UV dose dependence for all three responses. Within the dose ranges used, the potency ratio of TL12: TL01 radiation to induce equivalent edema and SBC was about 6:1. However, the potency ratio to induce cis-IJCA was less than 2.3:1. Therefore, at a given level of edema or SBC induction, TL01 was more efficient than TL12 at UCA photoisomerization. The TL01 induction of immunomodulating cis -UCA, while causing minimal skin injury, may relate to the therapeutic efficacy of this source in skin conditions with an immunological component.     

PHOTOCHEMICAL INACTIVATION OF SINGLE-STRANDED VIRAL DNA IN THE PRESENCE OF UROCANIC ACID*

Abstract— Urocanic acid (UA) has previously been shown to react photochemically in vitro with N,N-dimethylthymine. In this study, mixtures of UA and phage G4 single-stranded DNA have been irradiated with UV light (λ≥ 254 nm) and the DNA assayed for infectivity. At the concentrations of UA employed (typically 5.4 × 10^-3 M ) there is extensive absorption of the incident light by the UA. The DNA is inactivated at rates greater than that predicted from the calculated shielding by UA, indicating that photosensitization is occurring. Photosensitization is also indicated by the fact that at high UA concentrations the inactivation rate does not decrease to zero but approaches a residual value. Furthermore, the ability to photoreactivate DNA that has been photolyzed in the presence of UA is much reduced relative to that observed upon photolysis of the DNA alone. UA is therefore responsible for the production of UV-induced DNA lesions, which are resistant to photoreactivation.
A general analysis of the effects of photosensitization on the kinetics of UV inactivation is presented in an appendix.     

LACK OF CORRELATION BETWEEN SUPPRESSION OF CONTACT HYPERSENSITIVITY BY UV RADIATION AND PHOTOISOMERIZATION OF EPIDERMAL UROCANIC ACID IN THE HAIRLESS MOUSE

Abstract The immunological consequences of exposure to UVA (320–400 nm) radiation are unclear. This study describes the relationship between the generation of epidermal cis -urocanic acid and the ability to respond to a contact-sensitizing agent, in hairless mice exposed to different UV radiation sources, which incorporate successively greater short-wavelength cutoff by filtration of the radiation from fluorescent UV tubes. Mice were exposed to these radiation sources at doses systematically varying in UVB radiation content but supplying increasing proportions of UVA radiation. All radiation sources were found to generate approximately 35% cis -urocanic acid in the epidermis, thus normalizing the sources for cis -urocanic acid production. However, only those sources richest in short-wavelength UVB resulted in suppression of the systemic contact hypersensitivity response. These sources also induced the greatest erythema reaction, measured as its edema component, in the exposed skin. A strong correlation was thus demonstrated between the induction of edema and the suppression of contact hypersensitivity, but there appeared to be no correlation between the generation of epidermal cis-urocanic acid and suppression of contact hypersensitivity. The sources richest in UVA content did not result in suppression of contact hypersensitivity: furthermore mice previously irradiated with such UVA-rich sources were refractory to the immunosuppressive action of exogenous cis-urocanic acid. A protective effect of the increased UVA content thus appeared to be inhibiting immunosuppression by the available endogenously generated or exogenously applied cⁱs-urocanic acid.     

ULTRAVIOLET-B DOSE-RESPONSE CURVES FOR LOCAL AND SYSTEMIC IMMUNOSUPPRESSION ARE IDENTICAL

Irradiation of mice with UVB suppresses contact hypersensitivity either "locally", i.e. when sensitizer is applied to the UV irradiated site, or "systemically", i.e. when sensitizer is applied to a site distal to the site of irradiation. It has been suggested that local suppression requires lower doses of UV than does systemic suppression, and that different mechanisms are therefore responsible. We undertook a detailed analysis of the dose-response and kinetics of UV-induced local and systemic suppression of contact hypersensitivity to trinitrochlorobenzene in two strains of mice, C57BL/6 and BALB/c. We found that the UV dose-responses for systemic and local suppression were identical within the same strain. Comparison, however, of UV dose-responses between strains indicated that C57BL/6 mice required 6.4 times less UV than did BALB/c mice to generate an equivalent amount of suppression. In both strains, local suppression was initiated if sensitizer was applied immediately, or 1 or 3 days after completion of a single dose of UV. In contrast, systemic suppression was initiated only if sensitizer was applied 3 days after UV irradiation. Thus local suppression was generated in the absence of significant systemic suppression (but not vice versa), and this was dependent on time of application of sensitizer after UV irradiation, not on the dose of UV administered. Filtration of the UV source with Mylar indicated that UVB was responsible for initiating both local and systemic suppression. In summary, these results indicate that (1) genetically determined differences in susceptibility to UV suppression exist, (2) the time courses of generation of local and systemic suppression are identical, and therefore use of the terms "low dose" and "high dose" to refer respectively to local and systemic suppression by UV irradiation are incorrect. We conclude that a common mechanism initiates UV-induced local and systemic suppression of contact hypersensitivity by the immediate formation, at the site of UV irradiation, of an immunosuppressive signal which takes between 1 and 3 days to act systemically.     

ACTION SPECTRA FOR THE trans TO cis PHOTOISOMERISATION OF UROCANIC ACID in vitro and IN MOUSE SKIN

Urocanic acid (UCA) is a major UV chromophore in the upper layers of the skin where it is found predominantly as the trans isomer. UV irradiation induces photoisomerisation of trans-UCA to cis-UCA which has been shown to mimic some of the immunosuppressive properties of UV exposure. We examined the wavelength dependence for trans-UCA to cis-UCA photoisomerisation in vitro and in mouse skin in vivo over the spectral range270–340 nm. The resulting action spectra were very similar with maximal effectiveness at300–315 nm and equal activity at 270 nm and325–330 nm, demonstrating that UVA-II radiation (320–340nm) is efficient at UCA photoisomerisation. These action spectra differed markedly from the trans-UCA absorption spectrum in vitro and also the reported action spectrum for UV suppression of contact hypersensitivity in mice. These findings suggest that the relationship between cis-UCA formation in skin and UV-induced immunosuppression may be complex.     

12-钼磷酸的Brnsted酸位和Lewis酸位

研究了加热、抽空等预处理对固态12-钼磷酸(PMA)酸位的影响。发现了PMA上除存在B-酸位外,还可生成L-酸位。研究了PMA上L-酸位的成因,水在两类酸位形成过程中的作用,L-酸位与B-酸位的相对强度,以及PMA上酸强度的分布。据此,对Miscno等认为PMA中只存在质子酸和酸强度分布均匀的观点提出了不同的看法。     

12-钼磷酸的BrÖnsted酸位和Lewis酸位

研究了加热、抽空等预处理对固态12-钼磷酸(PMA)酸位的影响。发现了PMA上除存在B-酸位外,还可生成L-酸位。研究了PMA上L-酸位的成因,水在两类酸位形成过程中的作用,L-酸位与B-酸位的相对强度,以及PMA上酸强度的分布。据此,对Miscno等认为PMA中只存在质子酸和酸强度分布均匀的观点提出了不同的看法。     

反相高效液相色谱测定在乙醇酸和草酸存在下的乙醛酸含量

采用反相高效液相色谱分离测定了乙醇酸和草酸共存下乙醛酸的含量。色谱柱为Hy-persil ODS-C18柱(4.6 mm×100 mm,5μm),流动相为乙腈-水,检测波长为210 nm。探讨了流动相的pH及其配比对分离度和灵敏度的影响。以峰面积对乙醛酸浓度(g.L-1)作图所得校正曲线的线性回归方程为Y=1.934×103X+0.067×103(r=0.999 9),方法的检出限(2S/N)为5×10-7g.L-1。方法的测定回收率为98.1%~100.4%,相对标准偏差为0.4%。     

SUNSCREENS WITH BROAD-SPECTRUM ABSORPTION DECREASE THE trans TO cis PHOTOISOMERIZATION OF UROCANIC ACID IN THE HUMAN stratum corneum AFTER MULTIPLE UV LIGHT EXPOSURES

Abstract The trans to cis photoisomerization of urocanic acid (UCA) in skin is considered to play an important role in the mechanism of immunosuppression. We have investigated the effects of skin type and various sunscreens with low sun protection factor (SPF) on the UV-induced cis -UCA formation in human skin after exposure to artificial IJV light. The rate of cis -UCA formation depends little on the skin type and is reduced by topical application of sunscreens. The rate of cis -UCA formation decreases with increasing SPF and only broad-spectrum, highly protective sunscreens offer protection against the UV-induced formation of cis -UCA, which accumulates in the stratum corneum after multiple UV exposures. A theoretical approach to estimate the distribution of cis -UCA after irradiation indicates that this compound may diffuse into the deeper layers of the epidermis with D ∼ 10⁻¹⁷ m²/s, and that its elimination from the stratum corneum is mainly due to desquamation.     

苯基氧肟酸、正辛基氧肟酸与希土配合物的制备和性质

在乙醇一水混合溶液中,采用沉淀法制得了三十个苯基氧肟酸、正辛基氧肟酸与除钜以外的镧系元素及钇的配合物.通过元素分析、红外光谱、紫外光谱、质谱和差热热重分析研究了它们的组成和性质.它们的组成可分别确定为:M(C_6H_5C(O)NHO)_3和M(n-C_7H_(15)C(O)NHO)_3;光谱研究说明配体失去羟基质子后与希土离子形成了O、O五元螯合物,质谱和差热热重分析进一步说明螯合环在质子轰击与加热至220℃时均不易断裂,非常稳定。