The transmembrane anion transport activity of a series of synthetic molecules inspired by the structure of tambjamine alkaloids can be tuned by varying the lipophilicity of the receptor, with carriers within a certain log P range performing best.
The tambjamine alkaloids and related synthetic analogs are potent transmembrane anion tranporters promoting bicarbonate/chloride exchange in model phospholipid liposomes and discharging pH gradients in living cells.