Role of Impaired ABC Transporters in Alzheimer’s Disease

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily groups are membrane proteins that serve as active efflux pumps for many substances, together with therapeutics. ABC transporters comprise of a highly conserved “cassette-like” domain that catalyzes the ATP hydrolysis providing the energy needed for the transport of substances against a concentration gradient. They actively transport both the endogenous and exogenous substances and implicated in the absorption, distribution, and excretion of several xenobiotics. They exhibit ubiquitous expression throughout the human body, with a special relevance in barrier tissues like the blood-brain barrier (BBB). At this level, they play a physiological role in tissue protection by reducing or limiting brain accumulation of neurotoxins. Furthermore, dysfunction of ABC transporters, at expression and/or activity level, has been associated with many diseases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common form of age-related dementia that starts with memory loss and progresses to include severe cognitive impairment. In recent years, it has been shown that inadequate Aβ, which are physiologically assisted by the superfamily ABC transporters at the brain barrier, are important in the imitation and the progression of the disease. This book chapter highlights the significance of this alternative approach as a novel in AD, to provide the researchers an opportunity to evaluate the potential aspects of ABC transporters in AD treatment.