ABSTRACT
Psoralens and angelicins are furocoumarins having different molecular structures. One of the fundamental properties of furocoumarins both psoralens and angelicins is their capacity to interact with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Different steps can be identified in this interaction according to the following scheme, in which psoralens and angelicins are considered separately. Generally, furocoumarins both psoralens and angelicins have a very low water solubility. It decreases in the series of both methylpsoralen and methylangelicin derivatives by increasing the number of methyl groups on the molecules. Like psoralens, angelicins also are not very soluble in water and the solubility decreases with an increase in the number of methyl groups. Some water-soluble derivatives have been prepared from 4,5'–dimethylangelicin, which has been widely investigated because of its ability to exert strong antiprolierative effects without inducing skin erythema. The preparation and study of methylangelicins were based on the consideration that the parent compound, angelicin, is able to induce only monoadducts in DNA.
