Effects of a Series of Acidic Drugs on L-Lactic Acid Transport by the Monocarboxylate Transporters MCT1 and MCT4

Title:Effects of a Series of Acidic Drugs on L-Lactic Acid Transport by the Monocarboxylate Transporters MCT1 and MCT4

Volume: 18 Issue: 14

Author(s): Yat H. Leung, Francois Belanger, Jennifer Lu, Jacques Turgeon and Veronique Michaud*

Affiliation:

• Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC,Canada

Keywords: Adverse drug reactions, drug-transporters, monocarboxylate transporters, statins, loratadine, lactic acid.

Abstract: Background: Drug-induced myopathy is a serious side effect that often requires removal of a medication from a drug regimen. For most drugs, the underlying mechanism of drug-induced myopathy remains unclear. Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) mediate L-lactic acid transport, and inhibition of MCTs may potentially lead to perturbation of L-lactic acid accumulation and muscular disorders. Therefore, we hypothesized that L-lactic acid transport may be involved in the development of drug-induced myopathy. The aim of this study was to assess the inhibitory potential of 24 acidic drugs on L-lactic acid transport using breast cancer cell lines Hs578T and MDA-MB-231, which selectively express MCT1 and MCT4, respectively.

Methods: The influx transport of L-lactic acid was minimally inhibited by all drugs tested. The efflux transport was next examined: loratadine (IC50: 10 and 61 µM) and atorvastatin (IC50: 78 and 41 µM) demonstrated the greatest potency for inhibition of L-lactic acid efflux by MCT1 and MCT4, respectively. Acidic drugs including fluvastatin, cerivastatin, simvastatin acid, lovastatin acid, irbesartan and losartan exhibited weak inhibitory potency on L-lactic acid efflux.

Results: Our results suggest that some acidic drugs, such as loratadine and atorvastatin, can inhibit the efflux transport of L-lactic acid.

Conclusion: This inhibition may cause an accumulation of intracellular L-lactic acid leading to acidification and muscular disorders.

Cite this article as:

Leung H. Yat , Belanger Francois , Lu Jennifer , Turgeon Jacques and Michaud Veronique *, Effects of a Series of Acidic Drugs on L-Lactic Acid Transport by the Monocarboxylate Transporters MCT1 and MCT4, Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 2017; 18 (14) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389201019666180308091504