Evaluation of In Vitro Metabolism- and Transporter-Based Drug Interactions with Sunscreen Active Ingredients

The aim of this study was to examine the ability of sunscreen active ingredients to inhibit in vitro drug metabolism via cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and drug uptake transporters.

Metabolism assays with human liver microsomes were conducted for CYP2C9, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 using probe substrates warfarin, bufuralol and midazolam, respectively. Uptake transporter assays with transfected cell lines were conducted for OAT3, OCT2 and OATP1B1 with probe substrates estrone-3-sulfate, metformin and rosuvastatin, respectively. Six sunscreen active ingredients, avobenzone, enzacamene, oxybenzone, octinoxate, trolamine, and homosalate, were evaluated up to their aqueous solubility limits in the assays.

None of the sunscreen active ingredients inhibited CYP2D6 or CYP3A4 activities in the microsomes at concentration ranges up to tenfold higher than their known clinical total plasma levels. Only enzacamene, oxybenzone and trolamine were found to be inhibitory to CYP2C9 activity with IC₅₀ values of 14.76, 22.46 and 154.7 µM, respectively. Avobenzone, enzacamene, homosalate and octinoxate were not inhibitory to the uptake transporters at the evaluated concentrations. Oxybenzone was inhibitory to OAT3 and OCT2 with IC₅₀ values of 39.93 and 42.77 µM, respectively. Trolamine also inhibited uptake in OAT3 and OCT2 transfected cells with IC₅₀ values of 448.1 and 1376 μM, respectively.

Although enzacamene, oxybenzone and trolamine inhibited CYP2C9 and the renal transporters OAT3 and OCT2 in vitro, their IC₅₀ values exceeded total plasma levels found in clinical studies. Therefore, it is unlikely that these sunscreen active ingredients in sunscreen products will inhibit the metabolism or transport of co-administered drugs in consumers.