An action spectrum for the elicitation of erythema in skin persistently sensitized by photobound 8-methoxypsoralen

Human skin can be rendered persistently photosensitive by topical application of aqueous 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and exposure to a suberythemogenic dose of more than 380 nm radiation. We report an action spectrum for the elicitation of phototoxic erythema induced by a second exposure of skin pretreated in this way. After correction for unsensitized skin erythema this action spectrum resembles the absorption spectrum of the 4',5'-monoadduct of 8-MOP to DNA. This suggests that the monoadduct is the chromophore for erythema elicited by the second irradiation, and supports the DNA crosslink as the crucial photoproduct causing phototoxic erythema due to 8-MOP in human skin.