2003 Volume 113 Issue 4 Pages 405-411
The increasing use of topical NSAIDs for inflammatory lesions has caused a number of cases, mainly of photocontact dermatitis. Prolonged photosensitivity has been often observed in ketoprofen-induced photocontact dermatitis long after stopping contact to the causative agent. We examined phototoxicity, photosensitivity and the mechanism of prolonged photosensitivity to NSAIDs using guinea pigs. Ketoprofen (Mohrusr®), felbinac (Seltouch®) and flurbiprofen were tested. Tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TSCA) was used as positive control. Cyclophosphamide was used in some experiments as an immunoadjuvant to enhance the sensitization. No animals showed phototoxic reactions to ketoprofen, felbinac and flurbiprofen. Photoallergic contact sensitization was induced in all animals tested with 40% ketoprofen, 5% ketoprofen and 2% TSCA. Furthermore in photosensitized animals with ketoprofen, eczematous lesions were elicited with only ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation even 42 days after topical application of the sensitizer. On the other hand, felbinac and flurbiprofen did not induce photoallergic contact sensitivity even with pretreatment by cyclophosphamide. These experimental results suggest that felbinac or flurbiprofen is safer than ketoprofen for topical use to the sun-exposed areas.
