Targeting T2Rs, a feasible approach for natural bitter agents from traditional Chinese medicine modulate ABC transporters to treat respiratory diseases

Abstract

Background: It’s known that respiratory diseases are the top of the list of systemic diseases, and accumulating evidence suggests that one of the important reasons for the high incidence of respiratory diseases is the difficulty in delivering drugs effectively to the respiratory system. Purpose: In this review, we summarized the potential roles of targeting T2Rs in combination with bitter compounds for the treatment of respiratory diseases, and also discussed the potential of ABC transmembrane transporter proteins to deliver bitter compounds to cells to combat drug resistance, providing a reference for future studies on bitter receptor therapy related to respiratory diseases. Results: The airway epithelium cells serve as a lung barrier against the invasion of various harmful substances in the respiratory system, and many receptors have been found to exist in the airway epithelium cells. Interestingly, it’s reported that lots of bitter compounds (quercetin, resveratrol, etc.) can reduce oxidative stress and other responses in respiratory diseases via bitter taste receptors (T2Rs). Conclusion: Collectively T2Rs, seem as feasible drug targets and alternative treatment option for for natural bitter agents from traditional Chinese medicine to respiratory diseases in the future.

Keywords

• Bitter taste receptor
• Respiratory diseases
• Bitter compounds
• ABC transporters