The Role of Dihydropsoralen in Furanocoumarin Metabolism

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Abstract
Trapping experiments with [2-14C]umbelliferone and 2′,3′-dihydropsoralen (DHP) administered to Ruta graveolens yielded negative results over metabolic periods of 5–24 h. Specific radioactivities of psoralen were comparable to those previously observed, but those of DHP were about two orders of magnitude lower. These results do not support the theory (Z. Naturforsch. 25b, 700 (1970)) that DHP is the immediate precursor of psoralen in furanocoumarin biosynthesis, and it is proposed instead that DHP is not on the main pathway, but is in an equilibrium with psoralen that greatly favors dehydrogenation.

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