Transport mechanism of antiepileptic drugs in the placenta and multidirectional approaches for risk reduction to the fetus

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K18929
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Medical pharmacy
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: FURUGEN Ayako 北海道大学, 薬学研究院, 助教 (90767261)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 抗てんかん薬 / 胎盤 / トランスポータ / ガバペンチン / ラモトリギン / バルプロ酸 / 葉酸

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of antiepileptic drug transport across the placenta to reduce their risk to the fetus. The accumulated amounts of antiepileptic drugs in the placental cells were in the order, gabapentin > lamotrigine > levetiracetam > topiramate. We concluded that the influx of gabapentin, lamotrigine, and valproate into the placental cells was transporter-mediated. Furthermore, an experiment using transporter inhibitors and siRNAs indicated that L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) largely contributed to the transport of gabapentin into the placental cells.

Free Research Field

医療系薬学