Transporter-mediated Natural Product-Drug Interactions

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Drug Metabolism

Background:

• The widespread use of natural products in medicine necessitates understanding their interactions with drugs.
• Drug transporters, including ATP binding cassette (ABC) and solute carrier (SLC) families, significantly influence drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
• Natural products can act as inhibitors, substrates, inducers, or activators of these vital drug transporters.

Approach:

• This review comprehensively summarizes recent research on natural product-drug interactions (NDIs).
• It focuses on major drug transporters such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), organic anion transporters (OAT1/OAT3), organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATP1B1/OATP1B3), organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2), and multidrug and toxin extrusion proteins (MATE1/MATE2-K).
• The review also discusses current challenges and strategic approaches for studying NDIs.

Key Points:

• Numerous natural products interfere with drug transporter functions.
• Understanding these interactions is critical for predicting and managing drug efficacy and toxicity.
• Key transporters like P-gp, BCRP, OATs, OATPs, OCT2, and MATEs are frequently implicated in NDIs.

Conclusions:

• NDIs involving drug transporters are a significant clinical concern.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms and clinical implications of these interactions.
• Developing effective strategies for studying NDIs is crucial for ensuring the safe co-administration of natural products and pharmaceutical drugs.