Photobiological studies of new cyclopentene-psoralens

Psoralen analogues bearing a cyclopentane ring fused to either the 4',5' double bond (compound 4) or the 3,4 double bond (compound 7) of the tricyclic furocoumarin structure were prepared. AM1 theoretical calculations performed for these compounds indicated that the electronic properties of their reactive double bonds were very similar to those of psoralen and its derivative 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), though the overall molecular geometries were clearly different, particularly as regards the change in molecular curvature produced by the introduction of the cyclopentane ring. Compound 4 showed a capacity similar to that of 8-MOP to inhibit the growth of human cervix adenocarcinoma cells (HeLa) and to induce mutagenic effects, but it was definitely less phototoxic to skin than 8-MOP. Its ability to photoadd to DNA and to cross-link DNA strands was also demonstrated. Instead, compound 7 was practically devoid of biological activity and no interaction with the macromolecule could be detected. These differences in behaviour between 4 and 7 are probably due to the molecular curvature resulting from the introduction of the cyclopentane ring.