Involvement of intestinal P-glycoprotein in the restricted absorption of methylprednisolone from rat small intestine.

The interaction between steroid hormones and intestinal P-glycoprotein was investigated by measuring intestinal absorption from rat small intestine in situ. Prednisolone and hydrocortisone were rapidly absorbed from the entire small intestine. In contrast, methylprednisolone absorption was significantly retarded in jejunum and ileum by an intestinal efflux system. In the presence of verapamil an quinidine, the retarded absorption of methylprednisolone was completely recovered, suggesting that P-glycoprotein is responsible for the unique features of methylprednisolone absorption. A requisite for the substrate of intestinal P-glycoprotein seemed to be 6 alpha-methyl group in the steroid structure. Substrate specificity of intestinal P-glycoprotein to steroid hormones was shown to be in part different from those in other tissues such as adrenal gland. Little of all three steroid hormones disappeared in the supernatant of mucosal homogenate from rat small intestine, indicating that intestinal metabolism of these steroid hormones was relatively small.