Some new methyl-8-methoxypsoralens: synthesis, photobinding to DNA, photobiological properties and molecular modelling.

The tricyclic structure of known natural photochemotherapeutic drugs as 8-methoxypsoralen and 5-methoxypsoralen is often taken as a model in the search of new sensitizer agents with less phototoxic and mutagenic effects. This paper describes the synthesis, characterization, photobinding to DNA, photobiological properties and computational chemistry of some 8-methoxypsoralen derivatives bearing two or three methyl groups at the key positions of the two photoactive double bonds. Results showed that photoreactivity and photobiological behavoiur depend on thr pattern of methyl sustitutions. Antiproliferative activity in cell lines shows good correlation with DNA interaction data.