Impaired renal secretion of substrates for the multidrug resistance protein 2 in mutant transport-deficient (TR-) rats

Previous studies with mutant transport-deficient rats (TR-), in which the multidrug resistance protein 2 (Mrp2) is lacking, have emphasized the importance of this transport protein in the biliary excretion of a wide variety of glutathione conjugates, glucuronides, and other organic anions. Mrp2 is also present in the luminal membrane of proximal tubule cells of the kidney, but little information is available on its role in the renal excretion of xenobiotics. The authors compared renal transport of the fluorescent Mrp2 substrates calcein, fluo-3, and lucifer yellow (LY) between perfused kidneys isolated from Wistar Hannover (WH) and TR- rats. Isolated rat kidneys were perfused with 100 nM of the nonfluorescent calcein-AM or 500 nM fluo3-AM, which enter the tubular cells by diffusion and are hydrolyzed intracellularly into the fluorescent anion. The urinary excretion rates of calcein and fluo-3 were 3 to 4 times lower in perfused kidneys from TR- rats compared with WH rats. In contrast, the renal excretion of LY (10 AM, free anion) was somewhat delayed but appeared unimpaired in TR- rats. Membrane vesicles from Sf9 cells expressing human MRP2 or human MRP4 indicated that MRP2 exhibits a preferential affinity for calcein and fluo-3, whereas LY is a better substrate for MRP4. We conclude that the renal clearance of the Mrp2 substrates calcein and fluo-3 is significantly reduced in TR- rat; for LY, the absence of the transporter may be compensated for by (an)other organic anion transporter(s).