Dark interaction of 5-methoxypsoralen and 8-methoxypsoralen with erythrocyte ghosts: a fluorescence and circular dichroism study

✍ Scribed by Jocelyne Blais; Jeannine Milhaud; Jacques Bolard; Paul Vigny

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 696 KB
• Volume: 9
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1011-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/1011-1344(91)80148-b

✦ Synopsis

The dark interaction of 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP) and 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) with plasma membranes was studied using human erythrocyte ghosts as a model. In the presence of ghosts, modifications of the fluorescence characteristics of 5-MOP were observed, together with a quenching of the fluorescence of the tryptophan (Trp) residues of membrane proteins (up to 25%). Moreover, the appearance of an induced circular dichroism indicates that 5-MOP is located in a chiral environment. In contrast, only slight effects were observed in the case of 8-MOP. It is concluded that 5-MOP molecules are located partly within chiral protein sites of the membrane in such a way that a Förster energy transfer can occur from the Trp residues to the psoralen molecules.