Progress of SLC13A5 as a potential pharmacological target of metabolic diseases

The solute carrier (SLC) consists of more than 400 transport proteins mediating the influx and efflux of ions, nucleotides, sugars and other exogenous and endogenous substances across biological membranes. Over 80 SLC carrier proteins have been reported to be closely associated with human diseases, in which more than 30 SLC proteins have been regarded as the potential drug targets. SLC13A5 mediates transmembrane transport of substances such as citrate, which is connected with de novo lipid synthesis (DNL). Studies have found that SLC13A5 is related to metabolic diseases such as obesity, insulin resistance (IR), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). At present, there is no specific drug for clinical treatment of metabolic diseases caused by lipid metabolism disorders, especially NAFLD. Therefore, this paper summarizes the effect of SLC13A5 on metabolic regulation and its potential as a pharmacological target for metabolic diseases treatment, aiming to provide a reference for the research and development of drugs related to metabolic diseases.