The first study on chemical constituents and biological activities of Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels (Rutaceae) growing in Vietnam has been done. Phytochemical investigation of n-hexane extract led to the isolation of five compounds: dihydroindicolactone (1), 8-geranyloxy psoralen (2), imperatorin (3), heraclenol (4) and indicolactone (5), in which this is the first report on the presence of dihydroindicolactone (1). Their structures were elucidated based on LC/MS/NMR hyphenated techniques as well as comparison with those of literature data. The n-hexane extract and its subfractions, ethanol 95% extract and several isolated compounds were evaluated for antifungal activity.
Clausena* ; Ethanol ; Ficusin ; Vietnam

No abstract available.
Ficusin* ; Psoriasis* ; Skin Neoplasms*

Although the psoralen therapy has been used extensively on vitligo since the : introduction by El-Mofty on 1948, the result has not been satisfactory. Recent investigations showed that the autoimmune mechanism might be the causative factor to the development of vitiligo, and the use of steroid might be expected to be beneficial in the treatment of this disorder. Authors tried the combined treatment of prednisolone and psoralen on vitiligo and the results obtained are as follows; 1. Repigmentations began to develop from injected area of prednisolone as well as frorn hair follicles and peripheral area of the lesions. 2. More satisiactory responses were obtained on the widespread and symmetrical lesions of shorter duration than on the lesions of localized and long duration.
Ficusin* ; Hair Follicle ; Prednisolone* ; Vitiligo*

BACKGROUND: For the treatment of generalized vitiligo patients with oral PUVA, we can use two different methods; one is to treat the lesions while the whole body is exposed. Another one is to treat the lesions while only the lesions are exposed. PURPOSE: This study was performed to determine whether lesional and whole body exposure in oral PUVA for generalized vitiligo show any therapeutic differences in effectiveness. METHODS: The vitiligo lesions were distributed over the whole body skin of the subjects and the lesion area was less than 6% of the whole skin area. PUVA was done to the subjects more than 20 times after oral administration of psoralen. The patients were classified into two different groups. One is the lesional exposure group in which the patient exposed only the vitiligo lesion. The other is the whole body exposure group in which the patient exposed almost their whole body. RESULTS: Our results show that there is no statistical difference of the therapeutic effectiveness between the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend lesional treatment rather than whole body treatment to prevent the oral PUVA side effects.
Administration, Oral ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Skin ; Vitiligo*

Phytochemical investigation of the aerial components of Ducrosia ismaelis Asch. led to the isolation of six known compounds, psoralen (1), isopsoralen (2), cnidioside A (3), (-)-syringaresinol-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), (E)-plicatin B (5), trilinolein (6). The chemical structures of these compounds were elucidated from spectroscopic data and by comparison of these data with previously published results. The antioxidant, anti-osteoporotic and cardiovascular related activities of the isolated compounds were assessed using oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), reducing capacity, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitory activity assays. Compounds (3-5) showed potent peroxyl radical-scavenging capacities with ORAC values of 11.06 +/- 0.39, 7.98 +/- 0.10, and 13.99 +/- 0.06 Trolox equivalent (TE) at concentrations of 10 microM, respectively. Only compounds 4 and 5 was able to significantly reduce Cu2+ ions, with a reduction value of 9.06 +/- 0.32 and 4.61 +/- 0.00 microM Trolox Equivalent (TE) at a concentration of 10 microM. Compound 5 at 10 microM exhibited a potent inhibitory effect on osteoclastic TRAP activity with a TRAP value of 86.05 +/- 6.55% of the control. Compounds 1, 3 and 5 potently inhibited sEH activity with IC50 values of 41.6 4.9, 16.0 1.1, and 49.0 5.7 microM, respectively.
Acid Phosphatase ; Apiaceae ; Ficusin ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Ions ; Osteoclasts ; Oxygen

BACKGROUND: Psoralen has been used in the treatment of certain hypojigmentary disorders with UVA or solar irradiation. However trecent report proposed the actions of psiralens are direct and do not require the presence of ultraviolet light. The report also suggested that tze specific receptors other than DNA would be present. OBJECTIVE: This study was done ta identify the effects of 8-methoryporalen(8-MOP) on the proliferation and melanization of cultured normal human melanocytes without UVA. METHODS: Melanocytes were cultured in melanocyte culture medium neluding 16% or 5% FBS. We added 8-MOP by their concentrations from 10 M to 10 M. After 8 hours treatment, we investigated the melanocytes proliferation and Lhe melanin contents. RESULTS: We could not detecet any significant differences of melanoytes proliferation and melanin contents between the control end experimental groups. CONCLUSION: There were no effect on the proliferation and the milanization of cultured normal human melanocytes with 8-MOP only.
DNA ; Ficusin ; Humans* ; Melanins ; Melanocytes* ; Methoxsalen ; Ultraviolet Rays

No abstract available.
Ficusin ; Follow-Up Studies ; Isotretinoin ; Methotrexate ; Mycosis Fungoides

The etiology of scleroderma remains uncertain, but several pathomechanisms have been suggested including vascular alterations with endothelial cell damage, disturbances in the control of collagen synthesis and autoimmune activity. The association with other autoimmune diseases such as thyroid disorder and vitiligo may favor the attribution of autoimmunity to its pathomechanism. But their association has been rarely reported. Psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) photochemotherapy is the most popular and effective therapeutic modality for vitiligo. And successful treatments of localized scleroderma with PUVA photochemotherapy have been reported, including topical, systemic, and bath PUVA. We report a case of successful treatment with low-dose systemic PUVA photochemotherapy for the patient, who has concurrently both the localized scleroderma and vitiligo.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Autoimmunity ; Baths ; Collagen ; Endothelial Cells ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Photochemotherapy* ; Scleroderma, Localized* ; Thyroid Gland ; Vitiligo*

Vitiligo is a common acquired Thypornelanotic disease but the pathogenesis is still unknown and also the traatment is still unsatisfactory. The introduction in 1947 of psoralen therapy in vitiligo by El Mofty announced a new era in the treatment of this cosmetically disfiguring disease. Many investigators have developed therapeutic regimens for both topical and systemic poralen using various ligbt sources. The erythema action spectrum in UVA range of psoralen were defined, which consequently enabled the development of a more accurate regimen, namely psoralen and UVA(FUVA, exposure. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of topical PUVA therapy in patients with vitiligo and to compare the result of PUVA therapy according to the age, sex, type of disease, total exposure dose, duration of disease nd involved site. Twenty one patients selected in the Department of Dermatology of Kyung hee University Hospital with various clinical types of vitiligo were treated with 03% 8-MOP ointment followed by exposure to longwave ultraviolet energy. Clinical response was graded as follows: Grade 0: No repigmentation Grade 1; Up to 25% repigmentaton Grade 2; 25% to 50% repigmentation Grade 3; 50% to 90% repigmentation Grade 4; Greater than 90% repigmentation A responsive case wss defined as a case with greater than 25% repigmentation. A effective case was defined as a case with greater than 50;o repigmentation.
Dermatology ; Erythema ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Methoxsalen* ; Photochemotherapy* ; PUVA Therapy ; Research Personnel ; Ultraviolet Rays* ; Vitiligo*

BACKGROUND: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most frequent form of cutaneous lymphoma. Early stage MF is known to be responsible to the various topical and systemic therapies. However, there have been few clinical reviews of the treatment modalities of the early stoge MF in Korea. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic response of early MF to different treatment modalities. METHODS: The medical records, clinical photographs, and biopsied tissues, of fifty three cases of early MF were reviewed. RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis of early MF was 43.0 years old (varied between 9 and 81 years old). Twenty three (43.4%) were male and thirty (56.6%) were female. Topical carmustine (bis-chloroethyl-nitrosourea, BCNU) was the most commonly used treatment modality in the early MF (34.0%). Patients treated by BCNU in stage IA (<10% skin involved) showed a response rate of 85.7%. Early MF recorred in only one patient after 93 months. However BCNU was not effective for the patients in stage IB (> or =10% skin involved). Even Psoralen plus UVA (PUVA) therapy, which was most efficient in stage IB, revealed a high relapse rate after one year. CONCLUSION: BCNU has been most commonly used for the treatment of early MF during the past 10 years in the authors' hospital. It showed a comparatively high response rate, and the relapse rate of BCNU was lower than for other therapies in stage IA. However many treatments became ineffective when MF progressed to stage IB. Therefore the authors confirm that early diagnosis and proper therapy are most important for the treatment of early MF.
Carmustine ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphoma ; Male ; Medical Records ; Mycosis Fungoides* ; Recurrence ; Skin