A new special section entitled “Mechanistic and Translational Research on Transporters in Toxicology” is featured in the October 2022 issue of Drug Metabolism and Disposition. The articles focus on transporter regulation in the placenta during pregnancy complications and in the liver during drug-induced liver injury (DILI). In addition, it includes original research articles on the regulation of transporters in vitro and in vivo, following exposure to environmental pollutants. This special section also highlights the importance of research on xenobiotic transporters and the contributions by Dr. Lauren M. Aleksunes and her collaborators to the field.

The regulation of efflux transporters in the placenta during medical complications of pregnancy is critically examined. The expression of efflux transporters, which facilitate the excretion of drugs and environmental chemicals from the body, can be reduced by diseases during pregnancy, which can increase the potential risk of placental accumulation and fetal exposure of xenobiotics.

The article includes a critical review on the role and regulation of hepatobiliary ATP-Binding Cassette transporters during DILI. Attentions are called to study the knowledge gaps in the area of the epigenetic regulation of liver transporter expression, drug-host interactions, and the role of gastrointestinal microbiota in interindividual differences in DILI susceptibility, as well as the combined contributions of all these factors to DILI.

In addition, original research articles are included, which elucidate the alternations in expression of renal transporters in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and their impact on Ochratoxin A disposition and subsequent nephrotoxicity, the transporter gene expression, and the responses to environmental pollutants both in vitro and in preclinical species.

All content in the special section on “Mechanistic and Translational Research on Transporters in Toxicology” found in Drug Metabolism and Disposition’s October 2022 (50/10) issue, is freely accessible through April 2023.