Phototoxizität und Photomutagenität von Furocumarinen und Furocumarindrogen bei Chlamydomonas reinhardii

Abstract

The phototoxic and photomutagenic potency of furocoumarins and structurally related compounds plus long-wave ultraviolet light (NUV) were compared using an arginine-requiring-mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardii.

Treatment with concentrations between 5 μg/ml and 0,1 mM/L plus NUV (60 min, 2 - 2,7 W/m²) resulted in different phototoxic activities. Using the colony forming ability of arg cells as a basis for comparison, the test compounds can be arranged in descending order as follows: bergapten > xanthotoxin > 5'-methylangelicin > visnagin > imperatorin > rutamarin > angelicin. Xanthotoxol, xanthotoxindimer, and xanthoxyletin exhibited no toxic effect in this time period.

Strong photomutagenic potencies were also revealed as follows: bergapten > xanthotoxin > imperatorin. A weak activity could be detected after treatment with 5-methylangelicin and visnagin. Plant extracts producing different amounts and patterns of furocoumarins showed different mutagenic potencies: radix angelicae > rhizoma imperatoriae > radix pimpinellae.

Thus, bifunctional furocoumarins, especially bergapten and xanthotoxin, and plants synthesizing these compounds may represent a higher health risk than monofunctional ones and plants with monofunctional furocoumarins.

Key Word Index

Angelica officinalis - Peucedanum ostruthium - Pimpinella major - Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) - Bergapten - Imperatorin - Xanthotoxin - Angelicin - Phototoxicity - Photomutagenicity - Genetic Risk.