Home > D. Systemic pathology > Environmental and occupational diseases > bergamot orange
bergamot orange
Monday 8 September 2014
| WP |
Bergamot is also a source of bergamottin which, along with the chemically related compound 6’,7’-dihydroxybergamottin, is believed to be responsible for the grapefruit juice effect in which the consumption of the juice affects the metabolism of a variety of pharmaceutical drugs.
In the past, psoralen extracted from bergamot oil has been used in tanning accelerators and sunscreens. These substances were known to be photocarcinogenic since 1959,[21] but they were only banned from sunscreens in 1995.
These photocarcinogenic substances were banned years after they had caused many cases of malignant melanoma and deaths.
Psoralen is now used only in the treatment of certain skin disorders, as part of PUVA therapy.
