Mini-REVIEW: On the Mechanism of Erythrocyte Hemolysis Induced by Photooxidized Psoralen*

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E. V. Nevezhin^1,2, N. V. Vlasova¹, I. A. Pyatnitskiy¹, E. P. Lysenko¹, and M. V. Malakhov^1,2**

¹Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Department of Physics and Mathematics, 117997 Moscow, Russia; E-mail: frost88.07@mail.ru

²Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology Unit, 117997 Moscow, Russia; E-mail: malakhov.mikhail@gmail.com

^* This mini-review is dedicated to the blessed memory of Professor Alexander Yakovlevich Potapenko (1944-2014), who was the Head of Photomedicine Research Laboratory at the N. I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University for nearly four decades, and it is mostly based on data obtained in this laboratory.

^** To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received January 13, 2015; Revision received March 16, 2015

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Contemporary concepts on a possible mechanism of erythrocyte hemolysis induced by photooxidized psoralen – the medicinal photosensitizing furocoumarin – are reviewed. The hypothesis on the mechanochemical mechanism of hemolysis is considered in view of recent data on photoinduced aggregation in photooxidized psoralen solutions. Appropriate chemical structures of photoproduct hemolysins and aggregating photoproducts are discussed.

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KEY WORDS: psoralen, photooxidized psoralen, photoproducts, erythrocyte hemolysis, photoinduced aggregation, chemical regulation of hemolysis

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297915060115

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