title: Intractable epilepsy and the P-glycoprotein hypothesis.
abstract: Epilepsy is a serious neurological disorder that affects more than 60 million people worldwide. Intractable epilepsy (IE) refers to approximately 20%-30% of epileptic patients who fail to achieve seizure control with antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. Although the mechanisms underlying IE are not well understood, it has been hypothesized that multidrug transporters such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp) play a major role in drug efflux at the blood-brain barrier, and may be the underlying factor in the variable responses of patients to AEDs. The main goal of the present review is to show evidence from different areas that support the idea that the overexpression of P-gp is associated with IE. We discuss here evidence from animal studies, pharmacology, clinical cases and genetic studies.
authors.affiliation: a Medical Institute of Paediatrics , Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University , Jinan , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guang-Xin
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: b Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , School of Medicine, Shandong University , Jinan , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Da-Wei
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: a Medical Institute of Paediatrics , Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University , Jinan , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: a Medical Institute of Paediatrics , Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University , Jinan , P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D020168:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D000069279:Drug Resistant Epilepsy / Q000378:metabolism*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D020168:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1
keywords: P-glycoprotein; hypothesis; intractable epilepsy