Outcomes of Flavonoid-ABC-transporter Interactions

Abstract

Flavonoids are common compounds found in plants and in herbal nourishments and medicines. These phytochemicals have many different functions in the plant kingdom. Besides, they may apply a wide variety of useful effects on human health in a broad range of disease states. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily comprise membrane-bounded proteins which are involved in the transport of a large assortment of substrates such as cholesterol, proteins, lipids, drugs, toxins and etc. ABC-transporter individuals are identified and grouped into seven subfamilies (ABC-A to ABC-G). Among these, three members are linked with multidrug resistance (MDR): P-glycoprotein (P-gp/ ABCB1), the MDR-associated protein-1 (MRP1/ ABCC1), and the breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2). Flavonoids can influence on ABC-transporters by affecting their ATPase function, which can be suppressed or stimulated depending on the type of these compounds. The purpose of this review is to provide evaluation of the data on the modulatory effect of flavonoids on P-gp, MRP1 and BCRP transporters particularly