The conditional stimulation of rat organic cation transporter 2, but not its human ortholog, by mesoridazine: the possibility of the involvement of the high‐affinity binding site of the transporter in the stimulation

Objectives To study the functional consequences of the human and rat forms of OCT2 in the presence of phenothiazines. Methods MDCK cells expressing human or rat OCT2 were established, and MPP+ transport was determined by uptake assays. Concentration dependency was studied for the stimulatory/inhibitory effects of phenothiazines on MPP+ transport. Key findings Among the 11 phenothiazines examined, the majority were found to have comparable effects on transporter function between the orthologous forms, while three phenothiazines, particularly mesoridazine, had complex impacts on transporter function. For rOCT2, mesoridazine stimulated transport at 0.1 and 1 μmMPP+ with the mesoridazine concentration–uptake curve becoming bell‐shaped. This conditional effect became less pronounced at 30 μmMPP+, resulting in an inhibition curve with a typical profile. For hOCT2, mesoridazine behaved as a typical inhibitor of transporter function at all MPP+ concentrations, although the kinetics of inhibition were still affected by the substrate concentration. Conclusions The conditional stimulation by mesoridazine in rOCT2, and the lack thereof in hOCT2, may be a manifestation of the interaction of phenothiazine with substrate binding at the high‐affinity site of the OCT2. As OCT2 was previously indicated in some drug–drug interactions, the conditional stimulation of OCT2 and its potential species‐differences may be of practical relevance.