Modulation of Hepatic MRP3/ABCC3 by Xenobiotics and Pathophysiological Conditions: Role in Drug Pharmacokinetics

Liver transporters play an important role in the pharmacokinetics and disposition of pharmaceuticals, environmental contaminants, and endogenous compounds. Among them, the family of ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters is the most important due to its role in the transport of endo- and xenobiotics. The ABCC sub-family is the largest one, consisting of 13 members that include the cystic fibrosis conductance regulator (CFTR/ABCC7); the sulfonylurea receptors (SUR1/ABCC8 and SUR2/ABCC9) and the multidrug resistanceassociated proteins (MRPs). The MRP-related proteins can collectively confer resistance to natural, synthetic drugs and their conjugated metabolites, including platinum-containing compounds, folate anti-metabolites, nucleoside and nucleotide analogs, among others. MRPs can be also catalogued into "long" (MRP1/ABCC1, -2/C2, -3/C3, -6/C6, and -7/C10) and "short" (MRP4/C4, -5/C5, -8/C11, -9/C12, and -10/C13) categories. While MRP2/ABCC2 is expressed in the canalicular pole of hepatocytes, all others are located in the basolateral membrane. In this review, we summarize information from studies examining the changes in expression and regulation of the basolateral hepatic transporter MPR3/ABCC3 by xenobiotics and during various pathophysiological conditions. We also focus, primarily, on the consequences of such changes in the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and/or toxicity of different drugs of clinical use transported by MRP3.