Substrates Of ATP-binding Cassette Transporters Research Articles

Screening Multidrug Resistance Reversal Agents in Traditional Chinese Medicines by Efflux Kinetics of D-Luciferin in MCF-7/DOXFluc Cells.

In this study, we established a simple and rapid in vitro method for screening multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal agents in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), which could better correspond to the MDR reversing effect in vivo. Here, D-luciferin, a substrate for the enzyme firefly luciferase and also a substrate for ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters), was used as the probe to detect its efflux kinetics caused by ABC transporters. First, we established a stable doxorubicin (DOX)-resistant cell line (MCF-7/DOXFluc) that overexpressed luciferase. Then, some kinds of TCMs were chosen for the MDR reversal agents to measure its effect on inhibiting the D-luciferin outflow from MCF-7/DOXFluc, and the ideal reversal agent with the least D-luciferin efflux from MCF-7/DOXFluc was selected to further investigate its effect combined with DOX on MCF-7/DOXFluc tumor-bearing mice. The results indicated that quercetin (Qu) could remarkably increase the retention of D-luciferin in MCF-7/DOXFluc in vitro and in vivo. Also, the combination of Qu and DOX could exceedingly inhibit the tumor growth, which proved the feasibility of this in vitro screening method. The study proposed a feasible method for mass screening of MDR agents from TCMs in vitro.

Functional Inquiry into ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter Genes Contributing to Spirotetramat Resistance in Aphis gossypii Glover.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters regulate the efflux of a broad spectrum of substrates to extracellular transporting, which play an important role in the detoxification process in arthropods. Here, we described a comprehensive approach to explore the involvement of ABC transporters in spirotetramat resistance in cotton aphids. In this study, synergism bioassays showed 17.05% and 35.42% increases in the toxicity to spirotetramat with the ABC inhibitor verapamil in adult and 3rd instar nymph aphids of the SR strain, respectively. In a competitive assay based on the microinjection of a fluorescent ABC transporter substrate, verapamil (a general ABC inhibitor) and spirotetramat significantly inhibited the elimination of Texas Red. Based on transcriptome data of midguts of spirotetramat-susceptible (SS) and -resistant (SR) strains, the expression levels of ABCB4, ABCB5, ABCF2, MRP11, and MRP12 were significantly upregulated in the SR strain midgut compared to that of the SS strain. Gene functional analysis based on ectopic expression and RNA interference (RNAi) proved that ABCB4, ABCB5, ABCF2, MRP11, and MRP12 were involved in the tolerance of cotton aphids to spirotetramat. Moreover, the upregulated ABCF2, ABCB4, and ABCB5 in the midgut of the SR strain contributed more to the resistance of spirotetramat in in vitro functional analysis. In summary, these results demonstrate that candidate ABC transporter genes in the midgut tissue were involved in spirotetramat resistance, which will help reveal the relationship between ABC transporters and the development of spirotetramat resistance in field populations.

Impact of ABC Transporters in Osteosarcoma and Ewing's Sarcoma: Which Are Involved in Chemoresistance and Which Are Not?

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily consists of several proteins with a wide repertoire of functions. Under physiological conditions, ABC transporters are involved in cellular trafficking of hormones, lipids, ions, xenobiotics, and several other molecules, including a broad spectrum of chemical substrates and chemotherapeutic drugs. In cancers, ABC transporters have been intensely studied over the past decades, mostly for their involvement in the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype. This review provides an overview of ABC transporters, both related and unrelated to MDR, which have been studied in osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Since different backbone drugs used in first-line or rescue chemotherapy for these two rare bone sarcomas are substrates of ABC transporters, this review particularly focused on studies that have provided findings that have been either translated to clinical practice or have indicated new candidate therapeutic targets; however, findings obtained from ABC transporters that were not directly involved in drug resistance were also discussed, in order to provide a more complete overview of the biological impacts of these molecules in osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Finally, therapeutic strategies and agents aimed to circumvent ABC-mediated chemoresistance were discussed to provide future perspectives about possible treatment improvements of these neoplasms.

Natural Product as Substrates of ABC Transporters: A Review.

To date, many compounds extracted from natural products have anti-tumor activity, such as citronellol, ellagitannin-containing pomegranate extract, etc. Evidence from clinical context shows that multidrug resistance is an obstacle that impedes the effectiveness of natural products, such as chemotherapeutic agents, paclitaxel and vincristine. Overexpression of ATP- Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters is the leading cause of MDR. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate whether these natural products are substrates of MDR-associated ABC transporters, which may benefit the development of their clinical usage. This review summarizes the latest insight on natural products possessing substrate profile and analyzes some possible directions for future drug discovery. The anti-tumor effects of natural products are constantly being explored, but the drug resistance issues cannot be ignored, which limits their prospects as anti-tumor drugs to a certain extent. At the same time, some natural products are taken as a daily diet, and their possible role in increasing the drug resistance of the substrate should arouse the attention of clinical cancer patients.

Fluorescent probes for the dual investigation of MRP2 and OATP1B1 function and drug interactions

Detoxification in hepatocytes is a strictly controlled process, in which the governed action of membrane transporters involved in the uptake and efflux of potentially dangerous molecules has a crucial role. Major transporters of hepatic clearance belong to the ABC (ATP Binding Cassette) and Solute Carrier (SLC) protein families. Organic anion-transporting polypeptide OATP1B1 (encoded by the SLCO1B1 gene) is exclusively expressed in the sinusoidal membrane of hepatocytes, where it mediates the cellular uptake of bile acids, bilirubin, and also that of various drugs. The removal of toxic molecules from hepatocytes to the bile is accomplished by several ABC transporters, including P-glycoprotein (ABCB1), MRP2 (ABCC2) and BCRP (ABCG2). Owing to their pharmacological relevance, monitoring drug interaction with OATP1B1/3 and ABC proteins is recommended. Our aim was to assess the interaction of recently identified fluorescent OATP substrates (various dyes used in cell viability assays, pyranine, Cascade Blue hydrazide (CB) and sulforhodamine 101 (SR101)) (Bakos et al., 2019; Patik et al., 2018) with MRP2 and ABCG2 in order to find fluorescent probes for the simultaneous characterization of both uptake and efflux processes. Transport by MRP2 and ABCG2 was investigated in inside-out membrane vesicles (IOVs) allowing a fast screen of the transport of membrane impermeable substrates by efflux transporters. Next, transcellular transport of shared OATP and ABC transporter substrate dyes was evaluated in MDCKII cells co-expressing OATP1B1 and MRP2 or ABCG2. Our results indicate that pyranine is a general substrate of OATP1B1, OATP1B3 and OATP2B1, and we find that the dye Live/Dead Violet and CB are good tools to investigate ABCG2 function in IOVs. Besides their suitability for MRP2 functional tests in the IOV setup, pyranine, CB and SR101 are the first dual probes that can be used to simultaneously measure OATP1B1 and MRP2 function in polarized cells by a fluorescent method.

Endogenous, cholesterol-activated ATP-dependent transport in membrane vesicles from Spodoptera frugiperda cells

Transport proteins of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family are found in all kingdoms of life. In humans, several ABC efflux transporters play a role in drug disposition and excretion. Therefore, in vitro methods have been developed to characterize the substrate and inhibitor properties of drugs with respect to these transporters. In the vesicular transport assay, transport is studied using inverted membrane vesicles produced from transporter overexpressing cell lines of both mammalian and insect origin. Insect cell expression systems benefit from a higher expression compared to background, but are not as well characterized as their mammalian counterparts regarding endogenous transport. Therefore, the contribution of this transport in the assay might be underappreciated. In this study, endogenous transport in membrane vesicles from Spodoptera frugiperda -derived Sf9 cells was characterized using four typical substrates of human ABC transporters: 5(6)-carboxy-2,′7′-dichlorofluorescein (CDCF), estradiol-17β-glucuronide, estrone sulfate and N-methyl-quinidine. Significant ATP-dependent transport was observed for three of the substrates with cholesterol-loading of the vesicles, which is sometimes used to improve the activity of human transporters expressed in Sf9 cells. The highest effect of cholesterol was on CDCF transport, and this transport in the cholesterol-loaded Sf9 vesicles was time and concentration dependent with a Km of 8.06 ± 1.11 μM. The observed CDCF transport was inhibited by known inhibitors of human ABCC transporters, but not by ABCB1 and ABCG2 inhibitors verapamil and Ko143, respectively. Two candidate genes for ABCC-type transporters in the S. frugiperda genome (SfABCC2 and SfABCC3) were identified based on sequence analysis as a hypothesis to explain the observed endogenous ABCC-type transport in Sf9 vesicles. Although further studies are needed to verify the role of SfABCC2 and SfABCC3 in Sf9 vesicles, the findings of this study highlight the need to carefully characterize background transport in Sf9 derived membrane vesicles to avoid false positive substrate findings for human ABC transporters studied with this overexpression system.

Current Understanding of Interactions between Nanoparticles and ABC Transporters in Cancer Cells.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) remains the major obstacle for effective cancer therapy. Nanoparticles (NPs)-based delivery systems are promising to overcome MDR, but only a few of them have been accepted for clinical treatment, which should be due to their insufficient transportation and potential toxicity. In this respect, more and more attentions are being attracted on the interactions between NPs and ABC transporters, which hold a key role in the treatment of MDR cancer and the toxicity of NPs. However, there are no systematic reviews about such interactions, especially about their corresponding mechanism. We undertook extensive search of PubMed databases for peer-reviewed literatures using focused review questions. The retrieved papers were mostly published within the 5 years (84 of 104) and all with an impact factor above 2. First, this review focused on the current knowledge of ABC transporters involved in MDR and their inhibitors. Then, we reviewed the most recent literature about the inhibitory effects of organic NPs' excipients on ABC transporters and the direct interactions of inorganic NPs with ABC transporters. The major elements of obtained papers were described and classified depending on the structure of NPs. Both organic and inorganic NPs can inhibit the function of ABC transporters, but based on different mechanisms. The effects of organic NPs are caused by several excipients like surfactants, polymers, lipids and cyclodextrin. Meanwhile, inorganic NPs usually act as the substrates of ABC transporters and competitively inhibit the efflux of drugs. These phenomena are interesting and worth investigating. The finding of this review confirmed the potential interactions between NPs and ABC transporters. These phenomena are interesting and worth investigating, and a knowledge of related mechanism would not only be important for the clinical therapies toward overcoming cancer MDR, but also help the treatment of other diseases like tuberculosis, AIDS, and central nervous system disorders, whose drugresistance was also related to ABC transporter-mediated efflux.

Reversal of Multidrug Resistance in Human Colon Cancer and Human Leukemia Cells by Three Plant Extracts and Their Major Secondary Metabolites.

Background: We studied the effect of three plant extracts (Glycyrrhiza glabra, Paeonia lactiflora, Eriobotrya japonica) and six of their major secondary metabolites (glycyrrhizic acid, 18β glycyrrhetinic acid, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, paeoniflorin, ursolic acid) on the multidrug resistant human colon cancer cell line Caco-2 and human leukemia cell line CEM/ADR 5000 as compared to the corresponding sensitive cell line CCRF-CEM, and human colon cancer cells HCT-116, which do not over-express ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. Methods: The cytotoxicity of single substances in sensitive and resistant cells was investigated by MTT assay. We also applied combinations of extracts or single compounds with the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin or doxorubicin plus the saponin digitonin. The intracellular retention of the ABC transporter substrates rhodamine 123 and calcein was examined by flow cytometry to explore the effect of the substances on the activity of ABC transporters P-glycoprotein and MRP1. Real-time PCR was applied to analyse the gene expression changes of ABCB1, ABCC1, caspase 3, caspase 8, AhR, CYP1A1, and GSTP1 in resistant cells under the treatment of the substances. Results: All the substances moderately inhibited cell growth in sensitive and resistant cells to some degree. Whereas ursolic acid showed IC50 of 14 and 22 µM in CEM/ADR 5000 and Caco-2 cells, respectively, glycyrrhizic acid and paeoniflorin were inactive with IC50 values above 400 μM. Except for liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin, all the other substances reversed MDR in CEM/ADR 5000 and Caco-2 cells to doxorubicin. Ue, ga, 18ga, and urs were powerful reversal agents. In CEM/ADR 5000 cells, high concentrations of all the substances, except Paeonia lactiflora extract, increased calcein or rhodamine 123 retention in a dose-dependent manner. In Caco-2 cells, all the substances, except liquiritigenin, retained rhodamine 123 in a dose-dependent manner. We also examined the effect of the plant secondary metabolite (PSM) panel on the expression of ABCB1, ABCC1, caspase 3, caspase 8, AhR, CYP1A1, and GSTP1 genes in MDR cells. Conclusions: The extracts and individual PSM could reverse MDR in CEM/ADR 5000 and Caco-2 cells, which overexpress ABC transporters, in two- and three-drug combinations. Most of the PSM also inhibited the activity of ABC transporters to some degree, albeit at high concentrations. Ue, ga, 18ga, and urs were identified as potential multidrug resistance (MDR) modulator candidates, which need to be characterized and validated in further studies.

Towards Identification of the Substrates of ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters.

Most ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins function in transmembrane transport, and plant genomes encode a large number of ABC transporters compared with animal or fungal genomes. These transporters have been classified into eight subfamilies according to their topology and phylogenetic relationships. Transgenic plants and mutants with altered ABC transporter expression or function have contributed to deciphering the physiological roles of these proteins, such as in plant development, responses to biotic and abiotic stress, or detoxification activities within the cell. In agreement with the diversity of these functions, a large range of substrates (e.g. hormones and primary and secondary metabolites) have been identified. We review in detail transporters for which substrates have been unambiguously identified. However, some cases are far from clear, because some ABC transporters have the ability to transport several structurally unrelated substrates or because the identification of their substrates was performed indirectly without any flux measurement. Various heterologous or homologous expression systems have been used to better characterize the transport activity and other biochemical properties of ABC transporters, opening the way to addressing new issues such as the particular structural features of plant ABC transporters, the bidirectionality of transport, or the role of posttranslational modifications.

Effect of β-elemene on the kinetics of intracellular transport of d-luciferin potassium salt (ABC substrate) in doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer cells and the associated molecular mechanism

In order to explore the mechanism of the reversing multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotypes by β-elemene (β-ELE) in doxorubicin (DOX)-resistant breast cancer cells (MCF-7/DOX), both the functionality and quantity of the ABC transporters in MCF-7/DOX were studied. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) was used to study the efflux of d-luciferin potassium salt, the substrate of ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters), in MCF-7/DOX cells treated by β-ELE. At the same time three major ABC transport proteins and genes-related MDR, P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP, ABCC1) as well as breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP, ABCG2) were analyzed by q-PCR and Western blot.To investigate the efflux functionality of ABC transporters, MCF-7/DOXFluc cell line with stably-overexpressed luciferase was established. BLI was then used to real-time monitor the efflux kinetics of d-luciferin potassium salt before and after MCF-7/DOXFluc cells being treated with β-ELE or not. The results showed that the efflux of d-luciferin potassium salt from MCF-7/DOXFluc was lessened when pretreated with β-ELE, which means that β-ELE may dampen the functionality of ABC transporters, thus decrease the efflux of d-fluorescein potassium or other chemotherapies which also serve as the substrates of ABC transporters. As the effect of β-ELE on the expression of ABC transporters, the results of q-PCR and Western blot showed that gene and protein expression of ABC transporters such as P-gp, MRP, and BCRP were down-regulated after the treatment of β-ELE. To verify the efficacy of β-ELE on reversing MDR, MCF-7/DOX cells were treated with the combination of DOX and β-ELE. MTT assay showed that β-ELE increased the inhibitory effect of DOX on the proliferation of MCF-7/DOX, and the IC50 of the combination group was much lower than that of the single DOX or β-ELE treatment. In all, β-ELE may reverse MDR through the substrates of ABC transporters by two ways, to lessen the ABC protein efflux by weakening their functionality, or to reduce the quantity of ABC gene and protein expression.

Computer-Aided Recognition of ABC Transporters Substrates and Its Application to the Development of New Drugs for Refractory Epilepsy.

Despite the introduction of more than 15 third generation antiepileptic drugs to the market from 1990 to the moment, about one third of the epileptic patients still suffer from refractory to intractable epilepsy. Several hypotheses seek to explain the failure of drug treatments to control epilepsy symptoms in such patients. The most studied one proposes that drug resistance might be related with regional overactivity of efflux transporters from the ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) superfamily at the blood-brain barrier and/or the epileptic foci in the brain. Different strategies have been conceived to address the transporter hypothesis, among them inhibiting or down-regulating the efflux transporters or bypassing them through a diversity of artifices. Here, we review scientific evidence supporting the transporter hypothesis along with its limitations, as well as computer-assisted early recognition of ABC transporter substrates as an interesting strategy to develop novel antiepileptic drugs capable of treating refractory epilepsy linked to ABC transporters overactivity.

Pharmacological properties of microneurotrophin drugs developed for treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Microneurotrophins (MNT’s) are small molecule derivatives of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and do not have significant interactions with sex steroid receptors. MNT’s retain high-affinity binding to protein tyrosine kinase (Trk) receptors and can mimic many pleiotropic actions of neurotrophin (NT) proteins on neurons. MNT’s offer therapeutic potential for diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) where motor neurons (MN) degenerate.MNT’s cross artificial membranes mimicking the blood–brain barrier, are not major substrates for ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporters and are metabolized rapidly by mouse but more slowly by human hepatocytes. A lead MNT (BNN27) and its mono-oxidation metabolites enter mouse brain rapidly. RNA-sequencing measured gene expression profiles of human H9eSC-(embryonic stem cell)-derived or CTL (control) subject iPSC-(induced pluripotential stem cell)-derived MN’s exposed to NT proteins or MNT molecules. Expression ratios (relative to DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) vehicle) were calculated, and the resulting top 500 gene lists were analyzed for Gene Ontology (GO) grouping using DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery). The MNT’s BNN20, BNN23, and BNN27 showed overlap of GO terms with NGF (nerve growth factor) and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) in the H9eSC-derived MN’s. In the iPSC-derived MN’s two (BNN20, BNN27) showed overlap of GO terms with NGF or BDNF. Each NT protein had GO terms that did not overlap with any MNT in the MN cell lines.

Thiazolidinediones Regulate the Level of ABC Transporters Expression on Lung Cancer Cells.

ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters related to multidrug resistance (MDR) actively efflux various xenobio-tics from the cells across the cell membrane and decrease a drugs efficiency. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death among all types of cancer in the Czech Republic, and its incidence is still rising. Ciglitazone, rosiglitazone and troglitazone belonging to PPARγ agonist family (formerly used in diabetes mellitus treatment) were selected to investigate their capability to influence expression of ABC transporters on lung cancer cells. Therefore, the effect of PPARγ of agonists on transcription of following ABC transporters was investigated: multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1), multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). We have investigated if these PPARγ agonists are substrates of ABC transporters using HL60 and HL60 derived cell lines (HL60-MDR1, HL60-MRP1, PLB-BCRP) by cytotoxicity test WST-1. We have mapped the changes in mRNA expression level of those transporters in A549 and HEK293 cells after PPARγ agonists treatment using quantitative reverse transcription real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). All three PPARγ agonists serve as substrates to at least one ABC transporter under study. PPARγ activation correlates with up-regulation of PTEN which may modulate the expression of ABC transporters through PI3K/ Akt signaling pathway. We have shown that rosiglitazone and troglitazone inhibit mRNA expression of MDR1 transporter in both cell lines whereas the expression of MRP1 in HEK293 cell was up-regulated after rosiglitazone treatment and the expression of MDR1 was upregulated after ciglitazone treatment.

Low levels of graphene and graphene oxide inhibit cellular xenobiotic defense system mediated by efflux transporters

Low levels of graphene and graphene oxide (GO) are considered to be environmentally safe. In this study, we analyzed the potential effects of graphene and GO at relatively low concentrations on cellular xenobiotic defense system mediated by efflux transporters. The results showed that graphene (<0.5 μg/mL) and GO (<20 μg/mL) did not decrease cell viability, generate reactive oxygen species, or disrupt mitochondrial function. However, graphene and GO at the nontoxic concentrations could increase calcein-AM (CAM, an indicator of membrane ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter) activity) accumulation, indicating inhibition of ABC transporters’ efflux capabilities. This inhibition was observed even at 0.005 μg/mL graphene and 0.05 μg/mL GO, which are 100 times and 400 times lower than their lowest toxic concentration from cytotoxicity experiments, respectively. The inhibition of ABC transporters significantly increased the toxicity of paraquat and arsenic, known substrates of ABC transporters. The inhibition of ABC transporters was found to be based on graphene and GO damaging the plasma membrane structure and fluidity, thus altering functions of transmembrane ABC transporters. This study demonstrates that low levels of graphene and GO are not environmentally safe since they can significantly make cell more susceptible to other xenobiotics, and this chemosensitizing activity should be considered in the risk assessment of graphene and GO.

Structures and functions of mitochondrial ABC transporters.

A small number of physiologically important ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are found in mitochondria. Most are half transporters of the B group forming homodimers and their topology suggests they function as exporters. The results of mutant studies point towards involvement in iron cofactor biosynthesis. In particular, ABC subfamily B member 7 (ABCB7) and its homologues in yeast and plants are required for iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster biosynthesis outside of the mitochondria, whereas ABCB10 is involved in haem biosynthesis. They also play a role in preventing oxidative stress. Mutations in ABCB6 and ABCB7 have been linked to human disease. Recent crystal structures of yeast Atm1 and human ABCB10 have been key to identifying substrate-binding sites and transport mechanisms. Combined with invitro and invivo studies, progress is being made to find the physiological substrates of the different mitochondrial ABC transporters.

Activity of the dietary flavonoid, apigenin, against multidrug-resistant tumor cells as determined by pharmacogenomics and molecular docking

Natural products have been extensively studied and involved in cancer therapy field [1], apigenin has considerable cytotoxic activity in vitro and in vivo. Despite many mechanistic studies, less is known about resistance factors hampering apigenin’s activity. We investigated the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters BCRP/ABCG2, P-glycoprotein/ABCB1 and its close relative ABCB5. Apigenin inhibited not only P-glycoprotein, but also BCRP by increasing cellular uptake of doxorubicin and showed synergistic inhibitory effect in combination with doxorubicin or docetaxel against multidrug-resistant cells. To perform in silico studies, we first generated homology models for human P-glycoprotein and ABCB5 based on the crystal structure of murine P-glycoprotein. Their nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) revealed the highest degrees of sequence homologies (89%-100%), indicating that ATP binding and cleavage is of crucial importance for ABC transporters. In silico studies showed a pigenin bound to the NBDs of P-glycoprotein and ABCB5. Hence, apigenin may compete with ATP for NBD-binding leading to energy depletion to fuel the transport of ABC transporter substrates. Furthermore, we performed COMPARE and hierarchical cluster analyses of transcriptome-wide mRNA expression profiles of the National Cancer Institute tumor cell line panel. Microarray-based mRNA expressions of genes of diverse biological functions significantly predicted responsiveness of tumor cells to apigenin [2].

Pre-Plated Cell Lines for ADMETox Applications in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Membrane transporters significantly modulate membrane permeability of endobiotics and xenobiotics, such as bile acids and drugs, respectively. Various in vitro methods have been established for both ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters to examine cellular efflux and uptake, and for solute carriers (SLC) to examine cellular uptake of substrates. Cell-based systems are the models of choice to test drug-transporter interactions as well as drug-drug interactions for research and regulatory purposes, albeit, for low passive permeability substrates of ABC transporters, vesicular uptake assays are also recommended. Commercially available pre-plated cells (e.g., immortalized or transfected) offer a useful alternative to in-house cell culture. Three main methods are known to manufacture pre-plated cultures: regular culture medium with vacuum seal, cryopreserved delivery, and the solid shipping media technology. The regular culture medium and the solid shipping media technologies provide ready-to-use models for end users. Models expressing a broad selection of transporters are available in pre-plated formats for absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMETox) studies. Conversely, the application and utility of pre-plated cultures coupled with personal experiences have not been extensively covered in published research papers or reviews, despite availability and significant use of pre-plated products in the pharmaceutical industry. In this overview, we will briefly describe: 1) in vitro tools commonly used for ADMETox testing; 2) methods employed in manufacturing, shipment and preparation of pre-plated cell lines; 3) cell-membrane barrier models currently available in pre-plated format to reproduce passage restriction of physiological barriers to certain compounds; and 4) recommended pre-plated cell lines overexpressing uptake transporters for ADMETox applications.

Interactions of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors AT-7519, flavopiridol and SNS-032 with ABCB1, ABCG2 and ABCC1 transporters and their potential to overcome multidrug resistance in vitro.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters play an important role in multidrug resistance (MDR) toward anticancer drugs. Here, we evaluated interactions of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKi) AT-7519, flavopiridol and SNS-032 with the following ABC transporters in vitro: P-glycoprotein (ABCB1), breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (ABCC1). Inhibitory potency of studied CDKi to the transporters was evaluated by accumulation assays using fluorescent substrates and MDCKII cells overexpressing human ABCB1, ABCG2 or ABCC1. Resistance of transporter-expressing cells to the CDKi was evaluated by XTT proliferation assay. Observed interactions of CDKi were verified by ATPase assay in ABC transporter-expressing Sf9 membrane vesicles. Combination index analysis was additionally performed in ABC transporter-expressing cancer cell lines, HepG2 and T47D. Flavopiridol showed a significant inhibitory potency toward ABCG2 and ABCC1. SNS-032 also decreased ABCG2-mediated efflux, while AT-7519 failed to inhibit ABCB1, ABCG2 or ABCC1. Both flavopiridol and SNS-032 showed synergistic antiproliferative effects in combination with relevant ABC transporter substrates such as daunorubicin and topotecan in cancer cells. ABCB1 was found to confer significant resistance to AT-7519 and SNS-032, but not to flavopiridol. In contrast, ABCG2 and ABCC1 conferred resistance to flavopiridol, but not to AT-7519 and SNS-032. Our data provide detailed information on interactions of flavopiridol, SNS-032 and AT-7519 with ABC transporters, which may help elucidate the pharmacokinetic behavior and toxicity of these compounds. Moreover, we show the ability of flavopiridol and SNS-032, but not AT-7519, to overcome ABC transporter-mediated MDR.

Polyinosinic/Polycytidylic Acid-mediated changes in maternal and fetal disposition of lopinavir in rats.

Maintenance of optimal lopinavir (LPV) concentration is essential for effective antiretroviral therapy and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus. However, little is known about the effects of inflammation on the pharmacokinetics of this protease inhibitor and drug transporter substrate, particularly during gestation. Our objective was to study the effect of polyinosinic/polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)], a viral mimetic, on key maternal drug transporters, and to examine the effect on maternal and fetal disposition of LPV in rats. Poly(I:C) (5.0 mg/kg i.p.) or saline vehicle was administered to pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats on gestational days 17-18. At 24 hours postinjection, all rats were administered LPV (10 mg/kg i.v.), and plasma and tissues were collected at 5-120 minutes postadministration. Plasma interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and transporter expression was measured via real-time polymerase chain reaction. Maternal plasma, hepatic, placental, and fetal LPV concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Administration of poly(I:C) induced IFN-γ plasma levels and downregulated the expression of several important ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug efflux transporters in the placenta and liver of pregnant rats, compared with controls (P < 0.05). Maternal LPV plasma concentration and area under the concentration-versus-time curve were significantly increased in the poly(I:C) group. Plasma protein binding was also significantly higher in poly(I:C)-treated rats. Pronounced increases in hepatic, placental, and fetal LPV tissue:unbound plasma concentrations were seen in the poly(I:C) group; however, absolute tissue concentrations were not changed. Since the majority of commonly used and clinically important antiretroviral drugs are known to be ABC transporter substrates, inflammation-mediated changes in transporter expression could affect their maternal disposition and fetal exposure.

Copper oxide and zinc oxide nanomaterials act as inhibitors of multidrug resistance transport in sea urchin embryos: their role as chemosensitizers.

The ability of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) to act as inhibitors of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporters in embryos of white sea urchin (Lytechinus pictus) was studied. Nanocopper oxide (nano-CuO), nanozinc oxide (nano-ZnO), and their corresponding metal ions (CuSO4 and ZnSO4) were used as target chemicals. The results showed that nano-CuO, nano-ZnO, CuSO4, and ZnSO4, even at relatively low concentrations (0.5 ppm), significantly increased calcein-AM (CAM, an indicator of ABC transporter activity) accumulation in sea urchin embryos at different stages of development. Exposure to nano-CuO, a very low solubility NM, at increasing times after fertilization (>30 min) decreased CAM accumulation, but nano-ZnO (much more soluble NM) did not, indicating that metal ions could cross the hardened fertilization envelope, but not undissolved metal oxide NMs. Moreover, nontoxic levels (0.5 ppm) of nano-CuO and nano-ZnO significantly increased developmental toxicity of vinblastine (an established ABC transporter substrate) and functioned as chemosensitizers. The multidrug resistance associated protein (MRP, one of ABC transporters) inhibitor MK571 significantly increased copper concentrations in embryos, indicating ABC transporters are important in maintaining low intracellular copper levels. We show that low concentrations of nano-CuO and nano-ZnO can make embryos more susceptible to other contaminants, representing a potent amplification of nanomaterial-related developmental toxicity.