Inhibitory Effects of Dietary Schisandra Supplements on CYP3A Activity in Human Liver Microsomes

Schisandra chinensis and its fruits have been used as a traditional herbal medicine to treat liver dysfunction, fatigue, and chronic coughs. Several in vitro and in vivo studies suggested that dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans present in Schisandra fruits strongly inhibit CYP3A4 activity. However, reports on the inhibitory potential of dietary Schisandra supplements against CYP3A activity are limited despite their increasing consumption as dietary supplements. In this study, we evaluated the CYP3A-inhibitory potential of four dietary Schisandra supplements in human liver microsomes. At a concentration of 0.05 mg/mL, Schisandra supplements from Nature's Way, Swanson, Planetary Herbals, and Only Natural inhibited CYP3A activity by 93.9, 70.8, 33.6, and 24.8%, respectively. Nature's Way, which exhibited the strongest inhibition against CYP3A, had the highest contents of gomisin B and gomisin C, which potently inhibit CYP3A activity. The in vivo pharmacokinetics of this product should be examined to determine whether the clinical relevance of inhibiting CYP3A activity by dietary Schisandra supplementation.