Bergapten is the furanocoumarin better known in technical and regulatory literature as 5-methoxypsoralen or 5-MOP. In the AromaForge archive it matters less as a scent contributor than as a photobiologically active citrus trace constituent: live sources support clear identity data, repeated occurrence in bergamot and other expressed citrus oils, established UVA photosensitizing behavior, and a small but real body of preclinical mechanism research around inflammasome signaling, oxidative stress, and melanogenesis. The strongest caution is safety-related rather than benefit-related, because bergapten is the benchmark phototoxic constituent behind leave-on citrus restrictions.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem and NIST identify bergapten as C12H8O4 with InChIKey BGEBZHIAGXMEMV-UHFFFAOYSA-N. It is a psoralen-class linear furanocoumarin and the same molecule is routinely indexed under bergapten, bergaptene, 5-methoxypsoralen, and 5-MOP. In essential-oil work it is usually tracked as a low-volatility phototoxic marker rather than a primary odor note.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded faint, bitter, dry, coumarinic descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Review the flagged use concerns across every contributing oil and the selected dilution.
- Read the route, preparation and experimental context before using a study finding to choose an oil.
Reported benefits and effects
Findings retain their study context. An animal or laboratory result describes that experiment.
A guinea-pig phototoxicity study found bergapten plus UVA, but not UVA alone, produced dose-dependent sunburn-cell formation with a peak action range centered around 335-350 nm.
The abstract reports a clear UVA-dependent phototoxic response for bergapten and bergamot oil, supporting its role as a key citrus phototoxic constituent.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
PUVA cell-culture work reported that 5-methoxypsoralen with UVA increased tyrosinase activity, melanin content, and tyrosinase expression in melanocytes.
Europe PMC abstract data describe higher melanin synthesis and tyrosinase-linked signaling under PUVA conditions rather than from bergapten alone.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2023 study reported that bergapten reduced IL-1beta release, cleaved caspase-1, ASC speck formation, and pyroptosis markers while improving mitophagy-related readouts.
The paper combined macrophage assays with mouse sepsis and intestinal-inflammation models and tied the effect to mitochondrial ROS control and mitophagy support.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A rat colitis paper found oral bergapten lowered colon-weight-to-length ratio, reduced macroscopic and microscopic injury, and decreased mast-cell degranulation in acetic-acid colitis.
The open-access abstract and full-text record support an inflammation-modulating signal in vivo, but only in an animal disease model.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2023 pharmacokinetic study found bergapten competitively inhibited macitentan metabolism and increased macitentan exposure in rats.
The authors reported IC50 values in rat and human liver microsomes plus higher AUC and Cmax for macitentan after bergapten pretreatment, indicating interaction potential.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Phototoxicity concernFlagged
Flagged in the constituent reference; assess the source, route and finished-product concentration.
Oxidation concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Penetration enhancementNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
A recorded constituent reference, not a recommended oil dilution. Product category, source applicability and all contributing oils must be checked before use.
unverified reference · No source provenance attachedBergapten is a phototoxic furanocoumarin and the total bergapten level in leave-on products for sun-exposed skin is commonly limited to 15 ppm under fragrance-safety guidance.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Cold-pressed bergamot oil is commonly limited to about 0.4% in leave-on products because of bergapten-driven phototoxicity, while bergapten-free bergamot is treated differently.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Clinical 5-MOP literature shows dose-related increases in cutaneous photosensitivity under PUVA conditions, so archival copy should avoid portraying bergapten as a casual topical active.
Apply this finding only to the studied preparation, participants, route and outcome. It does not establish the same result for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
The macitentan study raises a plausible drug-metabolism interaction signal through CYP3A4 inhibition, but this remains an early research caution rather than a quantified consumer-use rule.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Constituents it may interact with
No constituent-pair interaction is recorded for this identity. The report does not assume either amplification or incompatibility.
How the effects were investigated
UVA-dependent photosensitization
Bergapten becomes biologically active under UVA exposure and is directly tied to phototoxic reactions in bergamot-type materials.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
promotion of melanogenesis through increased tyrosinase signaling under PUVA conditions
Cultured pigment-cell data show higher melanin content and tyrosinase activity when 5-methoxypsoralen is paired with UVA, which helps explain its historical PUVA use.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling with mitophagy support
A 2023 open-access study linked bergapten to lower caspase-1 and IL-1beta release, reduced gasdermin-D-mediated pyroptosis, and improved mitochondrial homeostasis.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
competitive inhibition of CYP3A4-mediated drug metabolism
A rat and microsome study found bergapten competitively inhibited macitentan metabolism, which is more relevant to interaction caution than to aroma use benefits.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
What this report cannot establish
- A reported constituent percentage does not establish an effective human therapeutic dose or the amount absorbed into the body.
- The presence of a constituent does not guarantee a clinical benefit, rash treatment or sleep improvement from a custom blend.
- An unflagged concern or missing use limit does not establish safety for ingestion, inhalation, skin exposure or a particular person.
- A candidate constituent interaction does not establish that two oils amplify one another at the selected proportions.
- Constituent descriptors alone do not establish a precise top, heart or base lifetime in a finished blend.
Known data gaps (5)
- Public constituent-level odor descriptions for isolated bergapten are sparse because it is more often handled as a nonvolatile analytical or safety marker than as a character note.
- Much of the newer bergapten pharmacology literature is preclinical; this pass did not verify a strong modern human trial on isolated bergapten outside supervised PUVA-related use.
- A 2022 broad bergapten review in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity was located but is marked as retracted in Europe PMC, so it was not used to support this record.
- The numeric dermal reference lacks source provenance; a verified flag alone is insufficient.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.