Fig. 3

Brain uptake of the Oatp transport substrate taurocholate in male and female Sprague–Dawley rats. Uptake of [³H]taurocholate (TCA) or [³H]atorvastatin (ATV) was measured via an in situ brain perfusion study. Animals were perfused with TCA (1.0 μCi/ml) or ATV (0.5 μCi/ml) for 10 min in the presence or absence of established Oatp transport inhibitors [i.e., estrone-3-sulfate (E3S), fexofenadine (FEX)]. a Animals were perfused for 10 min with E3S (100 μM) or FEX (100 μM) prior to perfusion with [³H]taurocholate. Results are expressed as mean ± SD of six animals per treatment group. b Animals were perfused for 10 min with E3S (100 μM) or FEX (100 μM) prior to perfusion with [³H]atorvastatin. Results are expressed as mean ± SD of six animals per treatment group. For data in the absence of Oatp inhibitors, asterisks represent a statistically significant difference in Oatp substrate uptake between male and female animals. For data in the presence of Oatp inhibitors, asterisks represent data points that were significantly different from animals perfused with TCA or ATV alone. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01