Tissue distribution and phenobarbital induction of target SLC- and ABC- transporters in cattle

In veterinary pharmaco-toxicological sciences, few data about uptake and efflux drug transporters (DTs) expression and regulation phenomena have been published. In this study, the tissue distribution and transcriptional modulation of solute carrier (SLC) and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) DTs were investigated in cattle orally administered with phenobarbital (PB) by using a quantitative real-time RT-PCR approach. The criterion for target gene selection was the PB-responsiveness in human and rodent model species. All target DTs were expressed in the liver. Only two of the seven PB-responsive target DTs (SLCO1B3 and SLC10A1) were not constitutively expressed in cattle extra-hepatic tissues. The greatest number of DTs (SLCO2B1, ABCB1, ABCC2, ABCG2) were expressed in intestine and testis, followed by, adrenal gland (SLCO2B1, ABCB1, ABCG2), lung (ABCB1, ABCG2), kidney, and skeletal muscle (ABCG2). PB administration never altered DTs mRNA levels, except for an increase in hepatic ABCC2 mRNA and a down-regulation of renal ABCG2. Altogether, these results confirm only to some extent data obtained in humans and laboratory species; clearly, they should be considered a preliminary step for further molecular investigations about species-differences in DT gene expression and regulation as well as in DT expression and function.