ABCG2 functions as a general phytoestrogen sulfate transporter in vivo

ABCG2 is an ATP-dependent efflux transporter that limits the systemic exposure of its substrates. The preferred substrates of ABCG2 in vivo are largely unknown. We aimed to identify the compounds transported by ABCG2 under physiological conditions. In vitro, ABCG2 transports several sulfate conjugates at high rates. We therefore used targeted metabolomics, specifically detecting compounds conjugated to sulfate, to search in plasma, urine, and bile samples of wild-type and Abcg2-/- mice for differentially present compounds, which are likely to represent in vivo ABCG2 substrates. Levels of many sulfate conjugates were up to 15-fold higher in plasma and urine of Abcg2-/- than of wild-type mice, with the opposite effect seen in bile. These differentially present compounds were identified as the sulfate conjugates of phytoestrogens, compounds with weak pro- or antiestrogenic properties. We confirmed that these sulfate conjugates were ABCG2 substrates using transportomics, a method that uses vesicular transport assays to screen for substrates of ABC transporters in body fluids. In conclusion, our results show that ABCG2 limits the systemic exposure to many different phytoestrogens, a class of compounds to which mammals are exposed on a daily basis via food of plant origin, by directing their sulfate conjugates for excretion via the feces.