Since the substrate specificities of OATP1B1, 1B3, and
2B1 are
broad and overlapping, the contribution of each isoform to the overall
hepatic uptake is of concern when assessing transporter-mediated drug–drug
interactions (DDIs) or genetic polymorphism impact in the clinic.
Herein, we quantitatively measured OATP proteins in cryopreserved
hepatocytes, sandwich-cultured human hepatocytes (SCHH), and the liver,
and examined the relationship with functional uptake of OATP substrates
in an effort to identify the OATP isoform(s) contributing to the hepatic
uptake of pitavastatin. The modulation of OATP expression in SCHH
was found to be lot-dependent. However, OATP protein measurements
averaged from 5 lots of SCHH were comparable to that of suspended
hepatocytes. All three OATP transporters in suspended hepatocytes
and SCHH were significantly lower than those in the liver. In SCHH,
the uptake of CCK-8 and pravastatin was found to be associated with
the expression of OATP1B3 and OATP1B1, respectively. In suspended
hepatocytes, OATP1B1 appeared to show a positive trend with respect
to the uptake of pitavastatin, which suggests a selective contribution
of OATP1B1 to pitavastatin transport and thus an OATP quantitative
protein expression–activity relationship. While the passive
diffusion of rosuvastatin in SCHH was consistent across hepatocyte
lots, the passive diffusion of pitavastatin varied over a broad range
(>4-fold) in suspended hepatocytes and was inversely correlated
with
transporter-mediated uptake, presumably due to cell membrane alterations
imparted by cryopreservation. Collectively, SCHH maintains OATP protein
expression and membrane integrity and, if feasible when considering
research goals, would be considered a superior tool for the characterization
of in vitro transport parameters without the complication
of membrane leakage.