BCRP protein levels do not differ regionally in adult human livers, but decline in the elderly

• The BCRP transporter has lowest protein expression in the elderly (≥65 years).
• Overweight individuals had higher BCRP mRNA levels compared with underweight or ideal weight.
• There are no regional expression differences in BCRP protein levels in the adult liver.

The aim of this study was to characterize the ontogeny and variability of the BCRP (ABCG2) transporter in healthy human liver. Levels of BCRP mRNA and protein were determined with q-RT-PCR and western blot in a cohort of 87 human livers aged from 7 days to 87 years. A study of the regional expression of BCRP within adult livers was also performed in a nested cohort of 14 individuals with multiple samples per person collected from pre-selected sites. Levels of BCRP mRNA were not significantly different at any age, but protein levels for BCRP were lower in the elderly compared with adults (p < 0.001) and children (p < 0.05). The intra-liver levels of BCRP protein ranged approximately 6.5-fold and inter-liver BCRP protein varied 8.5-fold in the cohort. No differences in BCRP mRNA or protein were observed with sex or ethnicity, although higher levels of BCRP mRNA were observed in livers from overweight individuals (Body Mass Index ≥ 25–29.9) as compared to underweight or ideal weight individuals. There were no differences in the levels of BCRP mRNA or protein in different regions of the large lobe (n = 3 regions), small lobe (n = 3 regions), directly adjacent to the portal vein or directly adjacent to the common bile duct. This indicates that BCRP researchers can source tissue from all parts of the adult liver without artificial bias in their results. Lower BCRP protein expression in the elderly may be associated with compromised xeno- and endobiotic transport.