Multiple Linear Regression Analysis Indicates Association of P-Glycoprotein Substrate or Inhibitor Character with Bitterness Intensity, Measured with a Sensor.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) regulates absorption of many drugs in the gastrointestinal tract and their accumulation in tumor tissues, but the basis of substrate recognition by P-gp remains unclear. Bitter-tasting phenylthiocarbamide, which stimulates taste receptor 2 member 38 (T2R38), increases P-gp activity and is a substrate of P-gp. This led us to hypothesize that bitterness intensity might be a predictor of P-gp-inhibitor/substrate status. Here, we measured the bitterness intensity of a panel of P-gp substrates and nonsubstrates with various taste sensors, and used multiple linear regression analysis to examine the relationship between P-gp-inhibitor/substrate status and various physical properties, including intensity of bitter taste measured with the taste sensor. We calculated the first principal component analysis score (PC1) as the representative value of bitterness, as all taste sensor's outputs shared significant correlation. The P-gp substrates showed remarkably greater mean bitterness intensity than non-P-gp substrates. We found that Km value of P-gp substrates were correlated with molecular weight, log P, and PC1 value, and the coefficient of determination (R(2) ) of the linear regression equation was 0.63. This relationship might be useful as an aid to predict P-gp substrate status at an early stage of drug discovery.

The role of inter-segmental differences in P-glycoprotein expression and activity along the rat small intestine in causing the double-peak phenomenon of substrate plasma concentration.

  Conflicting results have been reported on segmental differences in expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) along the small intestine of animals and humans. In this study, we investigated P-gp mRNA and protein levels within each of nine segments of rat small intestine. In addition, P-gp activity in each segment was evaluated in terms of permeability of rhodamine123 (Rho123), a typical P-gp substrate, using the serial intestinal non-everted sac method. The P-gp mRNA levels tended to increase from the duodenum to the ileum, with peaks in the upper and lower ileum, while P-gp protein level reached its maximum in the middle ileum. The activity of P-gp was also the highest in the middle ileum, and was highly correlated with P-gp protein level. The double-peaked plasma concentration profile that was observed following oral administration of Rho123 to rats could be well reproduced by an intestinal compartmental kinetic model incorporating inter-segmental differences of absorption and excretion rate constants. Our results suggest that the heterogeneous distribution of P-gp along the small intestine plays a key role in causing the double-peak of plasma concentration of P-gp substrates following oral administration to rats.