Assessment of the role of protein transporters in drug toxicity studies.

According to the research of International Union of Primary and Clinical Pharmacology and the British Pharmacological Society, ion channels are the third-largest target group for drugs. They participate in controlling physiological and pathological processes in the body. Voltage Gated Ion Channels (VGICs) take part in generating and transmitting information within the cells of the central and peripheral nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Statistically, one of the most common reasons for drug withdrawal is the risk of cardiotoxicity, so drug safety guidelines are constantly being tightened. Many heart diseases result from disruption of the normal function of ion channels, so a thorough investigation of their role and function in the cardiovascular system is essential. In the recently proposed changes to the cardiovascular safety assessment paradigm by indicating the need to assess drug interactions with cardiac VGIC (such as: KV11.1, NaV1.5, and CaV1.2) and their impact on the electrophysiology of human ventricular cells.

This paper presents the latest guidelines on the safety of cardiac drugs. Three ion channels, K_V11.1, Na_V1.5, and Ca_V1.2, were assessed as potential targets for cardiac disrupting drugs. New advanced compound toxicity testing guidelines require specialized knowledge and tools, that quickly and reliably provide information about the test drug. Therefore, a methodology is presented for the use of in silico techniques, in the process of compound toxicity testing.