Melanogenic Potential of Various Furocoumarins in Normal and Vitiliginous Skin

Abstract

The herbal use of psoralens (furocoumarins) for the treatment of leukoderma (vitiligo) in India, Egypt, and many other far Eastern countries dates back to the time before the birth of Christ. The roots of psoralen therapy for vitiligo can be traced as far back as 1,500 B.C. in Atharva Veda in which the early Ayurvedic therapy practiced by ancient Hindu priests is described. Extracts ofBavacheeseeds orPsoralea Corylifoliaand other plants containing psoralens were used in folk remedies by people of various cultures of India. Even in the late twentieth century, folk remedies of this form are being used in India, Pakistan, China, and the Far East. The powdered seeds of such plants, primarily belonging toUmbelliferae,Rutaceae, and a few toLeguminosaefamily, are given orally in tablet form or applied topically in paste form to the white skin. These plants are known to contain photoreactive and melanin-stimulating furocoumarins including psoralen, 8-methoxypsoralen₂(8-MOP), 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP), isopsoralen, etc. Similarly, the ancient herbal use ofAmmi Majus Linneaus, an umbelliferous plant, that grows wildly along the coast of the Nile in Egypt and containing well characterized photoreactive psoralens (e.g., ammoidin or 8-MOP, ammidin, or 8-isoamelaneoxypsoralen, majudin_1–45-MOP) has been carefully documented by the Egyptians.