Permeability assays are important for understanding how molecules cross biological barriers, assessing both their ability to cross and the mechanisms involved. While drugs are often absorbed by passive diffusion, some molecules can also be substrates for membrane proteins or transporters.
Publications have confirmed the importance of developing safe chemical agents using membrane transporter analysis as a criterion. This is reflected in the field of pesticides, one of the areas in which this analysis has been most widely applied.
The presence of the superfamily members of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters is well established as the main cause of multidrug resistance, since they efflux therapeutic compounds from cells and reduce the intracellular drug levels.
Last month, the ICH launched a draft on Drug Interaction Studies regulatory. The guideline includes the regulations of the European, American and Japanese medical agencies and covers both in vitro and clinical studies.
It is well known that food intake changes luminal conditions in the stomach and the small intestine, modifying drugs bioavailability. Food-drug interactions are one of the major challenges for oral-administered drugs, even more so if considering the growing use of food supplements and functional foods.
