ABSTRACT
The furan structure is present in a number of plant compounds and the metabolism of some more complex types (e.g., psoralens and tanshinones) is noted below. Many of the metabolic changes found with 8-methoxypsoralen involve the furan moiety. Other furan derivatives include furan aldehydes (see the chapter entitled Metabolism of Aldehydes, Ketones, and Quinones) and the furanosesquiterpenoid ketone ngaione (see the chapter entitled Metabolism of Higher Terpenoids). The role of metabolic activation of furans in the formation of toxic metabolites was reviewed by Burka and Boyd1 and Strolin Benedetti and Dostert.2
