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Review
. 2014 Aug 12:5:299.
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00299. eCollection 2014.

Unraveling the mysteries of serum albumin-more than just a serum protein

Angelica M Merlot  1 , Danuta S Kalinowski  1 , Des R Richardson  1
Affiliations
Review

Unraveling the mysteries of serum albumin-more than just a serum protein

Angelica M Merlot et al. Front Physiol. .

Abstract

Serum albumin is a multi-functional protein that is able to bind and transport numerous endogenous and exogenous compounds. The development of albumin drug carriers is gaining increasing importance in the targeted delivery of cancer therapy, particularly as a result of the market approval of the paclitaxel-loaded albumin nanoparticle, Abraxane®. Considering this, there is renewed interest in isolating and characterizing albumin-binding proteins or receptors on the plasma membrane that are responsible for albumin uptake. Initially, the cellular uptake and intracellular localization of albumin was unknown due to the large confinement of the protein within the vascular and interstitial compartment of the body. Studies have since assessed the intracellular localization of albumin in order to understand the mechanisms and pathways responsible for its uptake, distribution and catabolism in multiple tissues, and this is reviewed herein.

Keywords: albumin drug carriers; albumin receptors; albumin-binding proteins; gp60; serum albumin; tumors.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structure of human serum albumin consisting of three domains, each grouped into subdomains A and B (Subdomain Ia, yellow; Ib, green; IIa, red; IIb, magenta; IIIa, blue; and IIIb, cyan). Sugio et al. (1999) by permission of Oxford University Press.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of (A) normal and (B) tumor vasculature. Normal tissue is composed of mature, organized blood vessels, while tumor tissue consists of immature, leaky and tortuous vessels. The altered organization of tumor vasculature and disorganized lymphatic network results in vascular leakage and the accumulation of macromolecules (>40 kDa) within the interstitium and is known as the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect. Adapted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature Medicine (Jain, 2001), copyright (2001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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