ABSTRACT
Furocoumarins are common constituents of many members of the Rutaceae and Umbelliferae, although they have also been found in several other families of plants, and in fact are important components of a number of known medicinal plants. Furocoumarins can act as mutagens in bacteria, and are thus subject to appropriate repair mechanisms. Since many animal viruses carry essential enzymes, including polymerases, as an integral part of their matrix, then conceivably furocoumarins could render such viruses inactive, i.e., noninfectious, by virtue of this ability. The compounds, such as visnagin and khellin, often occur in association with furocoumarins e.g., in species of Ammi (Umbelliferae). When animal viruses were used as targets, visnagin showed significant but moderate phototoxicity against murine cytomegalovirus and Sindbis virus. It was found that khellin-treated virus was only partially inhibited, as expected on the basis of its less-efficient inactivation in comparison with visnagin. Furocoumarins and furanochromones can inactivate viruses in presence of UVA.
