Steric hindrance of 2,6-disubstituted benzoic acid derivatives on the uptake via monocarboxylic acid transporters from the apical membranes of Caco-2 cells.

Benzoic acid is a typical substrate for monocarboxylic acid transporters (MCTs), and easily taken up from the apical membranes of Caco-2 cells by MCTs. However, some benzoic acid derivatives were sparingly taken up by Caco-2 cells. To elucidate the mechanism of lower uptake of the derivatives, we investigated the effect of substitution of benzene ring on the uptake by MCTs using Caco-2 cells. Among the benzoic acid derivatives tested, the uptake of 2,6-disubstituted benzoic acids was markedly lower than that of other benzoic acids. Co-incubation of the 2,6-disubstituted derivatives with benzoic acid did not decrease the uptake of benzoic acid, while co-incubation with other derivatives significantly decreased the uptake of benzoic acid. Kinetic analyses elucidated that the uptake of 2,6-dichlorobenzoic acid and 2,3,6-trichlorobenzoic acid did not involve the carrier-mediated process. The 2,6-disubstitution of benzoic acid may prevent the access of carboxylic acid group to MCTs expressed on the apical membranes of Caco-2 cells.

Transepithelial transport of 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) across human intestinal Caco-2 cell monolayers.

Mechanisms of transcellular transport of 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) across the small intestine were investigated using Caco-2 cells cultured on permeable membranes. The cell monolayers were incubated with MCPA, either from apical side at pH 6.0 or 7.4, or basolateral side at pH 7.4. The accumulation and apical-to-basolateral transport of MCPA were markedly stimulated by the acidic pH on the apical side (inwardly directed H(+) gradient), dependent on metabolic energy and inhibited by co-incubation with acetic acid or benzoic acid. Without the H(+) gradient, on the other hand, the basolateral-to-apical transport of MCPA (secretory transport) was higher than the apical-to-basolateral transport (absorptive transport), although the secretory transport of MCPA was markedly lower than the absorptive transport under the H(+) gradient. Co-incubation of MCPA with probenecid from the basolateral side significantly inhibited the accumulation and transport of MCPA, whereas co-incubation with p-aminohippuric acid did not. These results suggest that the absorptive transport of MCPA is mediated by H(+)-linked monocarboxylic acid transporters expressed on the apical membranes, while secretory transport is mediated by a probenecid-sensitive transporter expressed on the basolateral membranes of Caco-2 cell monolayers.

Uptake of triclopyr (3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid) and dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) from the apical membranes of the human intestinal Caco-2 cells.

We investigated whether the uptake of triclopyr (3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid) and dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) across the apical membrane of Caco-2 cells was mediated via proton-linked monocarboxylic acid transporters (MCTs). The uptake of triclopyr from the apical membranes was fast, pH-, temperature-, and concentration dependent, required metabolic energy to proceed, and was competitively inhibited by monocarboxylic acids such as benzoic acid and ferulic acid (substrates of L-lactic acid-insensitive MCTs), but not by L-lactic acid. Thus, the uptake of triclopyr in Caco-2 cells appears to be mediated mainly via L-lactic acid-insensitive MCTs. In contrast, the uptake of dicamba (a benzoic acid derivative) was slow, and it was both pH- and temperature dependent. Coincubation with ferulic acid did not decrease the uptake of dicamba, although coincubation with benzoic acid moderately decreased it. The uptake of dicamba appears to be mediated mainly via passive diffusion, which is in contrast to the uptake of benzoic acid via MCTs. We speculate that the substituted groups in dicamba may inhibit uptake via MCTs.

Uptake of phenoxyacetic acid derivatives into Caco-2 cells by the monocarboxylic acid transporters.

The uptake mechanism of phenoxyacetic acid (PA) and its chlorine derivatives, 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), was investigated using Caco-2 cells. The cells were incubated with PA, 4-CPA, 2,4-D or 2,4,5-T at pH 6.0 and 37 degrees C. The order of uptake and lipophilicity expressed by n-octanol partition coefficients were PA<4-CPA<2,4-D<2,4,5-T. Incubation at 4 degrees C or at pH 7.4 significantly decreased these uptake. Furthermore, pretreatment with the protonophore, carbonylcyanide-p-(trifluoromethoxy) phenylhydrazone, or coincubation with benzoic acid, a typical substrate for the proton-linked monocarboxylic acid transporters (MCTs), significantly decreased the uptake of all compounds. The initial uptake rates of all compounds except PA were apparently saturable, suggesting the involvement of a carrier-mediated process. The order of uptake clearance of the compounds was the same as the order of their uptake and lipophilicity. Preloading of cells with benzoic acid significantly increased their uptake except for PA. These results suggest that the uptake of PA, 4-CPA, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T from the apical membrane of Caco-2 cells is mediated via common MCTs shared, at least in part, with benzoic acid, and the increase in lipophilicity due to the chlor-substitution may increase uptake via the MCTs.

Uptake of 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) from the apical membrane of Caco-2 cells by the monocarboxylic acid transporter.

The cellular uptake mechanism of 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), a phenoxyacetic acid derivative, was investigated using Caco-2 epithelial cells. The cells were incubated with 50 microM MCPA at pH 6.0 and 37 degrees C, and the uptake of MCPA from the apical membranes was measured. The uptake of MCPA was significantly decreased by incubation at low temperature (4 degrees C) and markedly increased by lowering the extracellular pH. Pretreatment with a protonophore, carbonylcyanide-p-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone (25 microM), or metabolic inhibitors, 2,4-dinitrophenol (1 mM) and sodium azide (10 mM), significantly decreased the uptake of MCPA by 53%, 45% and 48%, respectively. Coincubation of MCPA with 10 mM l-lactic acid or alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate, which is a substrate or an inhibitor of the monocarboxylic acid transporters (MCTs), significantly decreased the uptake of MCPA by 31% and 20%, respectively, and coincubation with benzoic acid profoundly decreased the uptake by 68%. In contrast, coincubation with succinic acid (a dicarboxylic acid) did not affect the uptake. Kinetic analysis of initial MCPA uptake suggested that MCPA is taken up via a carrier-mediated process [Km=1.37+/-0.15 mM, Vmax=115+/-6 nmol (mg protein)(-1) (3 min)(-1)]. Lineweaver-Burk plots show that benzoic acid competitively inhibits the uptake of MCPA with a Ki value of 4.68 +/-1.76 mM. A trans-stimulation effect on MCPA uptake was found in cells preloaded with benzoic acid. These results suggest that the uptake of MCPA from the apical membrane of Caco-2 cells is mainly mediated by common MCTs along with benzoic acid but also in part by l-lactic acid.