Biological Activity of Trans-Membrane Anion Carriers

Natural and synthetic anionophores promote the trans-membrane transport of anions such as chloride and bicarbonate. This process may alter cellular homeostasis with possible effects on internal ions concentration and pH levels triggering several and diverse biological effects. In this article, an overview of the recent results on the study of aniontransporters, mainly acting with a carrier-type mechanism, is given with emphasis on the structure/activity relationship and on their biological activity as antibiotic and anticancer agents and in the development of new drugs for treating conditions derived from dysregulation of natural anion channels.