title: Molecular aspects of extracorporeal photochemotherapy.
abstract: 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), activated upon exposure to long-wavelength ultraviolet radiation, is used therapeutically to treat the diseased blood cells of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients. The factors responsible for the efficacy of this therapy are reviewed. Primary among these are the plasma level of 8-MOP at the time of irradiation and the effective dose of UVA. 8-MOP plasma levels determined in a series of six patients demonstrated that the drug is absorbed at a highly variable rate (122 ng/ml +/- 67). A new liquid form of 8-MOP is absorbed with a modest increase in plasma levels (170 ng/ml) but with no improvement in the variability (+/- 163). An examination of the dose-response relationship between 8-MOP concentration and UVA dose indicated that properties such as 8-MOP photoadduct formation and PHA response are proportional to the combined doses of these two factors. A new molecular target for 8-MOP photomodification, cell membrane DNA, is described.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Gasparro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dall'Amico
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldminz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weingold
mesh_terms: D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005112:Extracorporeal Circulation; D006801:Humans; D008730:Methoxsalen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011701:PUVA Therapy; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D008730:Methoxsalen