The effect of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in human cancers

Multi-drug resistance (MDR) can be defined as a negative effect on the drug-target relationships, decreasing in intracellular drug aggregation. ABC (ATP-binding cassette) are popular transporter proteins in the development of MDR. ABC proteins in the cell membrane structure reduce the therapeutic efficacy and cause drug resistance in cancer patients. Resistance to chemotherapy is a remarkable and important issue in the treatment of cancer patients. These drug resistance proteins interfere with the drugs administered to patients, resulting in a decrease in bioavailability of these drugs and a reduction in their passage through the blood-brain barrier. ABC transporters are the largest family of transmembrane proteins with 8 subfamilies assigned from A to G based on sequence and structural homology. In this review, general information about ABC proteins is mentioned and the role of ABC proteins causing MDR in cancers is also discussed.