SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEW METHYLPSORALENS AS POTENTIAL PHOTOCHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS

Three new psoralens with methyl groups on carbons involved in their re active double bonds (compounds 9-11 in Scheme 1) were synthesized from the corresponding 7-hydroxycoumarins by cyclization of acetonyl deriv atives of the latter in an alkaline medium. In preliminary tests, the new methyl-substituted psoralens exhibited considerable interaction in the dark with DNA, good photoreactivity against the macromolecule, an d also interesting antiproliferative activity.