Title: P-glycoprotein
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - P-glycoprotein
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.12704
Status: current

Definition
ATP-binding cassette transporter responsible for the efflux of small molecules from cells.

Note
P-glycoproteins can play a major role in limiting brain penetration and restricting the intestinal absorption of drugs. Their over-expression in cancer cells becomes a common mechanism of multidrug resistance.

Related Terms
- ATP-binding cassette: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/12620
- efflux pump: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/12653
- multidrug resistance: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/12685

Source
- PAC, 2013, 85, 1725. 'Glossary of terms used in medicinal chemistry. Part II (IUPAC Recommendations 2013)' on page 1745 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-12-11-23)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/12704/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/12704/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/12704/xml

Citation: Citation: 'P-glycoprotein' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.12704
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-07-14T01:48:47+00:00