Expression and intracellular distribution of the G protein-coupled receptor 30 in rat hippocampal formation.

Although the expression and distribution of nuclear estrogen receptors in the hippocampus has been described, it has been proposed that the nuclear receptors may not explain all aspects of estrogen function in the hippocampus. Recently, a G protein-coupled receptor for estrogen, GPR30, was identified as a membrane-localized estrogen receptor in several cancer cell lines. In this study, we examined the expression and intracellular distribution of GPR30 in the rat hippocampal formation. We found expression of GPR30 in pyramidal cells of CA1-3 and granule cells of the dentate gyrus at both mRNA and protein levels. Specific markers for intracellular organelles and immunoelectron microscopy revealed that GPR30 was mainly localized to the Golgi apparatus and partially in the endoplasmic reticulum of the neuron but could not detect the protein at the cell surface. Expression levels were not different among male, female in proestrus and female in estrus at the adult stage, but were higher in newborn male than newborn female.

Carrier-mediated uptake of grepafloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, by the isolated rat lung cells.

Grepafloxacin (GPFX) is a new quinolone antibiotic (NQ) which is highly distributed to the lung and other tissues. In the present study, to characterize the distribution mechanism of GPFX to the lung, the uptake of GPFX by isolated rat lung cells was examined in vitro. GPFX was rapidly taken up by the cells, and the uptake reached a steady-state within 5 min. The cell-to-medium concentration ratio at equilibrium was 56.8+/-1.9 microL/mg protein, which was much higher than the cellular volume. GPFX uptake consisted of a saturable component (Km: 264+/-181 microM, Vmax: 2.94+/-2.33 nmol/min/mg protein) and a nonsaturable component (Pdif: 7.04+/-2.17 microL/min/mg protein). The uptake of GPFX was reduced in the presence of ATP-depletors (FCCP and Rotenone) and by the replacement of sodium with choline in the medium, suggesting that GPFX uptake is at least partially mediated by an Na+- and energy-dependent process. GPFX uptake tended to be reduced in the presence of other NQs such as levofloxacin, lomefloxacin and sparfloxacin, but was only minimally affected by the substrates of several uptake mechanisms already identified in the liver and kidney such as taurocholate, p-aminohippurate, L-carnitine and tetraethylammonium. These results suggested that GPFX is taken up by the lung partially via carrier-mediated transport system(s), distinct from the identified transporters, and such active transport systems may at least partially account for the efficient distribution of GPFX to the lung.

Relationships among plasma [2-(13)C]uracil concentrations, breath (13)CO(2) expiration, and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) activity in the liver in normal and dpd-deficient dogs.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), the first enzyme in the sequential metabolism of pyrimidine, regulates blood concentrations of 5-fluorouracil and is deeply involved in its toxicity. This study was designed to examine the effects of a DPD inhibitor on blood concentrations of [2-(13)C]uracil ([(13)C]uracil) and (13)CO(2) concentration (Delta(13)C) expired in breath after oral or intravenous administration of [(13)C]uracil to DPD-suppressed dogs prepared by pretreatment with 5-(trans-2-bromovinyl)uracil (BVU), a DPD inhibitor. Area under the curve (AUC(t)) of [(13) C]uracil after oral administration at 20 micromol/kg to dogs pretreated with BVU at 2, 5, and 40 mmol/kg were 37-, 88- and 120-fold higher than those of the control dogs, respectively. In contrast, breath AUC(t) values of Delta(13)C were reduced to 0.88-, 0.47- and 0.13-fold the control values, respectively. Upon intravenous administration of [(13)C]uracil at 20 micromol/kg to dogs pretreated with BVU at 0.5, 2, and 40 micromol/kg, blood AUC(t) values of [(13)C]uracil were 1.4-, 4.2-, and 13-fold higher than those of the control group, respectively, whereas breath AUC(t) values were reduced to 1.0-, 0.83-, and 0.07-fold the respective control values. DPD activities in the liver cytosol of dogs pretreated with BVU at 0.5, 2, 5, and 40 micromol/kg were decreased to 0.71-, 0.12-, 0.06-, and 0.04-fold those of the control dogs, respectively. These findings demonstrate that breath output (Delta(13)C) is a good marker of hepatic DPD activity in vivo.

Differential involvement of multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 and P-glycoprotein in tissue distribution and excretion of grepafloxacin in mice.

The involvement of multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (Mrp1) and P-glycoprotein (mdr1) in the tissue distribution and excretion of grepafloxacin (GPFX), a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, was investigated using gene-deficient mice [mdr1a(-/-), mdr1a/1b(-/-), and mrp1(-/-)]. The plasma concentration-time profile of GPFX in mrp1(-/-) was nearly identical to that in mrp1(+/+), whereas that in mdr1a/1b(-/-) was higher than that in mdr1a/1b(+/+). The urinary clearance of GPFX in mdr1a/1b(-/-) was lower than that in mdr1a/1b(+/+), suggesting that the urinary excretion of GPFX is at least partially mediated by mdr1. The tissue-to-plasma concentration ratios during the beta-phase (K(p beta),) was significantly higher in the heart, trachea, kidney, spleen, and brown fat of mrp1(-/-) than those in mrp1(+/+). In MRP1-transfected LLC-PK1 cells, the efflux of GPFX after preloading into the cells was higher than that observed in the parent cell lines. These results suggest that GPFX is a substrate of MRP1 and that its distribution to these tissues might be limited by Mrp1. On the other hand, a higher K(p beta), and of GPFX in mdr1a(-/-) mdr1a/1b(-/-) compared with mdr1a/1b(+/+) was observed only in the brain. GPFX was efficiently distributed to the lung parenchyma cells and pulmonary airspaces, including the epithelial lining fluid and macrophages that are the pharmacological target of GPFX, although the contribution of Mdr1 and Mrp1 to such distribution seems to be minor. Thus, the present findings reveal that the disposition of GPFX is at least in part governed by these two ABC transporters and that both Mrp1 and Mdr1 are involved in the limited distribution of GPFX to the distinct tissues, including pharmacological and/or toxicological targets by an active efflux mechanism.

Mechanism for the tissue distribution of grepafloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, in rats.

This study was carried out to investigate the most important factor(s) governing the tissue distribution of grepafloxacin (GPFX), a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, in rats. The tissue-to-blood concentration ratio (K(p)) of GPFX at steady state during constant infusion was highest in the lung, followed by the pancreas, kidney, and spleen. After bolus injection, GPFX was efficiently taken up by most of the organs examined, the uptake clearance other than the lung being almost blood flow-limited. Approximately 10% of the intravenously injected dose was rapidly trapped by the lung, but GPFX distribution rapidly decreased within 30 s due to the washout by the plasma flow. Thus, the higher distribution of GPFX to the lung compared with the other organs cannot be accounted for by a difference in its uptake or efflux. Subcellular fractionation after the infusion indicated that GPFX is primarily distributed to the organelle fractions in most organs, 60% of lung-associated GPFX being recovered in the nucleus and plasma membrane fraction. Such subcellular distribution in the lung was proportional to the phosphatidylserine (PhS) content of each fraction. The steady-state K(p) value in each tissue in vivo also correlated with the tissue content of PhS. GPFX preferentially binds to PhS, compared with other phospholipids, and this binding was inhibited by weakly basic drugs, such as quinidine, imipramine, and propranolol, that have also been reported to bind to PhS. The association of GPFX with PhS synthase transformants of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells depends on the PhS content of each cell line, this association being also inhibited by basic drugs. These results suggest that binding of GPFX to PhS is the major determinant of the high distribution of GPFX to the lung.