RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Characterization of the Inhibitory Effects of N-Butylpyridinium Chloride and Structurally Related Ionic Liquids on Organic Cation Transporters 1/2 and Human Toxic Extrusion Transporters 1/2-K In Vitro and In Vivo JF Drug Metabolism and Disposition JO Drug Metab Dispos FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 1755 OP 1761 DO 10.1124/dmd.110.035865 VO 39 IS 9 A1 Yaofeng Cheng A1 Lucy J. Martinez-Guerrero A1 Stephen H. Wright A1 Robert K. Kuester A1 Michelle J. Hooth A1 I. Glenn Sipes YR 2011 UL http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/39/9/1755.abstract AB Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of salts that are expected to be used as a new source of solvents and for many other applications. Our previous studies revealed that selected ILs, structurally related organic cations, are eliminated exclusively in urine as the parent compound, partially mediated by renal transporters. This study investigated the inhibitory effects of N-butylpyridinium chloride (NBuPy-Cl) and structurally related ILs on organic cation transporters (OCTs) and multidrug and toxic extrusion transporters (MATEs) in vitro and in vivo. After Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing rat (r) OCT1, rOCT2, human (h) OCT2, hMATE1, or hMATE2-K were constructed, the ability of NBuPy-Cl, 1-methyl-3-butylimidazolium chloride (Bmim-Cl), N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium chloride (BmPy-Cl), and alkyl substituted pyridinium ILs to inhibit these transporters was determined in vitro. NBuPy-Cl (0, 0.5, or 2 mg/kg per hour) was also infused into rats to assess its effect on the pharmacokinetics of metformin, a substrate of OCTs and MATEs. NBuPy-Cl, Bmim-Cl, and BmPy-Cl displayed strong inhibitory effects on these transporters (IC50 = 0.2–8.5 μM). In addition, the inhibitory effects of alkyl-substituted pyridinium ILs on OCTs increased dramatically as the length of the alkyl chain increased. The IC50 values were 0.1, 3.8, 14, and 671 μM (hexyl-, butyl-, and ethyl-pyridinium and pyridinium chloride) for rOCT2-mediated metformin transport. Similar structurally related inhibitory kinetics were also observed for rOCT1 and hOCT2. The in vivo coadministration study revealed that NBuPy-Cl reduced the renal clearance of metformin in rats. These results demonstrate that ILs compete with other substrates of OCTs and MATEs and could alter the in vivo pharmacokinetics of such substrates.