ABSTRACT
The seeds of Ammi majus are a major source of a furanocoumarin called xanthotoxin, better known as 8-methoxypsoralen or methoxsalen, a photosensitising agent that is widely cultivated in some parts of the world, especially India, for the furanocoumarins which are used in the treatment of skin conditions. The root, sap and seeds of many plants in the Apiaceae family contain furanocoumarins (also known as furocoumarins) which have evolved to protect the plant from mammal or insect predators as well as some fungal and bacterial diseases. They cause skin to become photosensitive. Ammi majus contains two furanocoumarins, bergapten (5-methoxypsoralen) and xanthotoxin (better known as 8-methoxypsoralen or methoxsalen), both of which are activated by ultraviolet A radiation. 8-methoxypsoralen is also used to modify white blood cells when they have been removed from the patient’s blood, a cell-based immunomodulatory therapy called extra-corporeal photopheresis.
