Possibilities of Cancer Chemotherapy Based on Transporter-Conscious Drug Design

Abstract

Cancer chemotherapy is the treatment method which uses drugs to kill cancer cells or to inhibit their growth. In cancer drug discovery or development, not only anti-cancer drug delivery into target cancer cells across the cell membrane but also acquired anti-cancer drug resistance through the overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters such as MDR1 (p-glycoprotein) in target cancer cells are serious problems to overcome. However, the use of transport system based on solute carrier (SLC) transporters can solve both problems, because it is well-known that some types of SLC transporters are overexpressed in cancer cells. Thus, transporter-consciously designed drugs can be transported into cells by such overexpressed SLC transporters, so as not to be excreted by MDR1. Therefore, transporter-conscious drug design is very effective in absorption, distribution, excretion, and toxicity of drugs (ADMET) due to transport systems. In this paper, cancer chemotherapy based on transporter-conscious drug design is described.