Evaluation of cytochrome P450 activity in vitro, using dermal and hepatic microsomes from four species and two keratinocyte cell lines in culture.

The Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes are expressed in the skin, and despite a low activity, as compared to the hepatic counterpart, a role during transdermal delivery of a drug cannot be excluded. Additionally, the enzymes may play a role in local toxicity, and further knowledge of dermal CYP450 activity can contribute to elucidate this issue. To achieve this, a cocktail of six selective CYP450 probe substrates were incubated with dermal and hepatic microsomes isolated from mouse, rat, minipig and man. Different species were used to evaluate if a reliable substitute for human tissue was possible. Further, the hepatic microsomes were included in this study, to estimate if the hepatic CYP450 activity is predictive of dermal CYP450 activity. The CYP450 activity was determined in two keratinocyte cell lines as well, as this in vitro model is desirable due to the ease in handling, among other factors. Overall, the metabolism found in the dermal microsomes was very low, and major differences were observed between species. When comparing the activities in dermal and hepatic microsomes, the qualitative pattern was to some extent similar within species, but also a number of differences were observed. The CYP450 metabolic activity in the two keratinocyte cell lines was not comparable to metabolism in the human dermal microsomes.