A mechanistic study on the phototoxicity of atorvastatin: singlet oxygen generation by a phenanthrene-like photoproduct.

Atorvastatin calcium (ATV) is one of the most frequently prescribed drugs worldwide. Among the adverse effects observed for this lipid-lowering agent, clinical cases of cutaneous adverse reactions have been reported and associated with photosensitivity disorders. Previous work dealing with ATV photochemistry has shown that exposure to natural sunlight in aqueous solution leads to photoproducts resulting from oxidation of the pyrrole ring and from cyclization to a phenanthrene derivative.