Trioxsalen (trimethylpsoralen (TMP), trioxysalen ( INN) or Trisoralen) is a furanocoumarin and a

psoralen Psoralen (also called psoralene) is the parent compound in a family of naturally occurring organic compounds known as the linear furanocoumarins. It is structurally related to coumarin by the addition of a fused furan ring, and may be considered a ...

derivative. It is obtained from several plants, mainly '' Psoralea corylifolia''. Like other psoralens it causes photosensitization of the skin. It is administered either topically or

oral The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or ora ...

ly in conjunction with UV-A (the least damaging form of

ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...

light) for phototherapy treatment of vitiligo and hand

eczema Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

. After photoactivation it creates interstrand cross-links in DNA, which can cause

programmed cell death Programmed cell death (PCD) sometimes referred to as cell, or cellular suicide is the death of a cell (biology), cell as a result of events inside of a cell, such as apoptosis or autophagy. PCD is carried out in a biological process, which usual ...

unless repaired by cellular mechanisms. In research it can be conjugated to dyes for

confocal microscopy Confocal microscopy, most frequently confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) or laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), is an optical imaging technique for increasing optical resolution and contrast (vision), contrast of a micrograph by me ...

and used to visualize sites of DNA damage. The compound is also being explored for development of antisense

oligonucleotide Oligonucleotides are short DNA or RNA molecules, oligomers, that have a wide range of applications in genetic testing, Recombinant DNA, research, and Forensic DNA, forensics. Commonly made in the laboratory by Oligonucleotide synthesis, solid-phase ...

s that can be cross-linked specifically to a mutant

mRNA In molecular biology, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) is a single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of Protein biosynthesis, synthesizing a protein. mRNA is ...

sequence without affecting normal transcripts differing at even a single base pair. Trioxsalen (abbreviated as TMP) activated by UV-A exposure is commonly used in

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

research as an experimental mutagen. UV/TMP generates small deletions (~1-3 Kbp), but all base transitions and transversions can also be obtained.

References

{{coumarin Furanocoumarins O-methylated coumarins