Pharmacogenetics of coumarin dosing: prevalence of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 polymorphisms in the Lebanese population

Pharmacogenomics in Lebanon: current status, challenges and opportunities

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) research and applications are of utmost relevance in Lebanon considering its population genetic diversity. Moreover, as a country with regional leadership in medicine and higher education, Lebanon holds a strong potential in contributing to PGx research and clinical implementation. In this manuscript, we first review and evaluate the available PGx research conducted in Lebanon, then describe the current status of PGx practice in Lebanon while reflecting on the local and regional challenges, and highlighting areas for action, and opportunities to move forward. We specifically expand on the status of PGx at the American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center as a case study and guide for the further development of local and regional comprehensive PGx research, teaching, and clinical implementation programs. We also delve into the status of PGx knowledge and education, and prospects for further advancement such as with online courses and certificates.

Frequencies of VKORC1-1639G>A and rs397509427 in Patients on Warfarin and Healthy Syrian Subjects

Background

Vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) gene encodes a key enzyme with multiple cellular activities, namely, the reduction of vitamin K to its active form. VKORC1-1639G>A (rs9923231) is a common single nucleotide polymorphism with a crucial impact on warfarin dosing and possibly other physiological functions. This study aimed at investigating the frequencies of VKORC1-1639G>A alleles and genotypes in Syrian healthy subjects and patients on warfarin for different indications.

Methods

A total of 138 individuals were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Genomic DNA was extracted from both patients on warfarin and healthy subjects, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific amplicons were genotyped via standard sequencing which also allowed the detection of rs397509427. Comparisons of -1639G>A frequency with other populations were drawn.

Results

Of 94 patients on warfarin, 53 (56.38%) were with idiopathic venous thromboembolism (VTE). Despite comparable frequencies of the -1639A allele (47% and 50%), the AA and GA genotypes were at disparate frequencies of 93.2% versus 79.8% in the healthy subjects (n = 44) versus patients on warfarin, respectively. Carriers of the GG genotype were at a four-fold increased risk of VTE in comparison with those of the AA and GA genotypes (odds ratio (OR) = 4, 95% CI = 1.105 - 13.6, P = 0.0469). All study subjects were wild-type for the rs397509427 variant.

Conclusions

Our results prove a high -1639A prevalence in Syrian healthy subjects and patients on warfarin at frequencies comparable to other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern populations. The A allele carriers are at a lower VTE risk, whereas a global prevalence gradient of the G allele is suggested to be associated with VTE risk.

Pharmacogenomic survey of Qatari populations using whole-genome and exome sequences

The Arabs represent one of the most genetically heterogeneous populations characterized by a high prevalence of Mendelian disorders due to consanguinity. Population-scale genomic datasets provide a unique opportunity to understand the epidemiology of variants associated with differential therapeutic response. We analyzed publicly available genomic data for 1005 Qatari individuals encompassing five subpopulations. The frequencies of known and novel pharmacogenetic variants were compared with global populations. Impact of genetic substructure on the pharmacogenetic landscape of the population was studied. We report an average of three clinically actionable pharmacogenetic variants with FDA-recommended genetic testing per Qatari individual regardless of their genetic ancestry. We observed extensive differences in the frequencies of clinically actionable pharmacogenetic variants among the Qatari subpopulations. Our analysis revealed 3579 deleterious pharmacogenetic variants potentially altering the function of 1163 genes associated with 1565 drugs. This study has thus compiled the first comprehensive landscape of pharmacogenetic variants for any Arab population.

Impact of Genetic Polymorphisms on Phenytoin Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Outcomes in the Middle East and North Africa Region

BACKGROUND

Genetic polymorphisms are known to influence outcomes with phenytoin yet effects in the Middle East and North Africa region are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the impact of genetic polymorphisms on phenytoin pharmacokinetics and clinical outcomes in populations originating from the Middle East and North Africa region, and to characterize genotypic and allelic frequencies within the region for genetic polymorphisms assessed.

METHODS

MEDLINE (1946-3 May, 2017), EMBASE (1974-3 May, 2017), Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Base, and Public Health Genomics Knowledge Base online databases were searched. Studies were included if genotyping and analyses of phenytoin pharmacokinetics were performed in patients of the Middle East and North Africa region. Study quality was assessed using a National Institutes of Health assessment tool. A secondary search identified studies reporting genotypic and allelic frequencies of assessed genetic polymorphisms within the Middle East and North Africa region.

RESULTS

Five studies met the inclusion criteria. CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and multidrug resistance protein 1 C3435T variants were evaluated. While CYP2C9*2 and *3 variants significantly reduced phenytoin metabolism, the impacts of CYP2C19*2 and *3 variants were unclear. The multidrug resistance protein 1 CC genotype was associated with drug-resistant epilepsy, but reported impacts on phenytoin pharmacokinetics were conflicting. Appreciable variability in minor allele frequencies existed both between and within countries of the Middle East and North Africa region.

CONCLUSIONS

CYP2C9 decrease-of-function alleles altered phenytoin pharmacokinetics in patients originating from the Middle East and North Africa region. The impacts of CYP2C19 and multidrug resistance protein 1 C3435T variants on phenytoin pharmacokinetic and clinical outcomes are unclear and require further investigation. Future research should focus on the clinical outcomes associated with phenytoin therapy. PROSPERO 2017: CRD42017057850.

Individualized medicine enabled by genomics in Saudi Arabia

The biomedical research sector in Saudi Arabia has recently received special attention from the government, which is currently supporting research aimed at improving the understanding and treatment of common diseases afflicting Saudi Arabian society. To build capacity for research and training, a number of centres of excellence were established in different areas of the country. Among these, is the Centre of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research (CEGMR) at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, with its internationally ranked and highly productive team performing translational research in the area of individualized medicine. Here, we present a panorama of the recent trends in different areas of biomedical research in Saudi Arabia drawing from our vision of where genomics will have maximal impact in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We describe advances in a number of research areas including; congenital malformations, infertility, consanguinity and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, cancer and genomic classifications in Saudi Arabia, epigenetic explanations of idiopathic disease, and pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine. We conclude that CEGMR will continue to play a pivotal role in advances in the field of genomics and research in this area is facing a number of challenges including generating high quality control data from Saudi population and policies for using these data need to comply with the international set up.

Analysis of CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3 and VKORC1 -1639 G>A polymorphisms in a population from South-Eastern Europe

The CYP2C9 enzyme metabolizes a wide range of relevant drugs, among which are oral anticoagulants. VKORC1 is the pharmacodynamic target of the oral anticoagulants. The genetic polymorphisms CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3 and VKORC1 -1639 G>A are the major determinants of the inter-individual variability in the dosage requirements of oral anticoagulants. This study provides a first evaluation of these 3 polymorphisms in a Romanian population. A total of 332 Romanian individuals were genotyped for the CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3 and VKORC1 -1639 G>A polymorphisms using the PCR-RFLP technique. Sixty-two individuals (18.7%) were heterozygous for CYP2C9*2, whereas 47 individuals (14.1%) were heterozygous for CYP2C9*3. Fourteen individuals (4.2%) had a CYP2C9*2 homozygous, CYP2C9*3 homozygous or CYP2C9*2/CYP2C9*3 compound heterozygous genotype. These individuals are predicted to have the lowest CYP2C9 enzymatic activity. The allele frequencies of the CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 polymorphisms were 11.3% and 9.3% respectively. For the VKORC1 -1639 G>A polymorphism, there were 170 heterozygotes (51.2%) and 55 (16.6%) homozygotes for the A allele. The frequency of the A allele was 42.2%. Overall, the distribution of the CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3 and VKORC1 -1639 G>A polymorphisms observed in our cohort is in accordance with other Caucasian populations. A large number of Romanians are expected to harbour at least one CYP2C9 variant allele and/or one VKORC1 -1639 G>A allele. This frequency has major implications in the pharmacogenomics of oral anticoagulants in Romanians.

Pharmacogenetics of warfarin: challenges and opportunities

Since the introduction in the 1950s, warfarin has become the commonly used oral anticoagulant for the prevention of thromboembolism in patients with deep vein thrombosis, atrial fibrillation or prosthetic heart valve replacement. Warfarin is highly efficacious; however, achieving the desired anticoagulation is difficult because of its narrow therapeutic window and highly variable dose response among individuals. Bleeding is often associated with overdose of warfarin. There is overwhelming evidence that an individual's warfarin maintenance is associated with clinical factors and genetic variations, most notably polymorphisms in cytochrome P450 2C9 and vitamin K epoxide reductase subunit 1. Numerous dose-prediction algorithms incorporating both genetic and clinical factors have been developed and tested clinically. However, results from major clinical trials are not available yet. This review aims to provide an overview of the field of warfarin which includes information about the drug, genetics of warfarin dose requirements, dosing algorithms developed and the challenges for the clinical implementation of warfarin pharmacogenetics.

Genotyping of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 in the Arabic population of Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

Polymorphisms in the genes encoding CYP2C9 enzyme and VKORC1 reductase significantly influence the dose variability of coumarinic oral anticoagulants (COAs). Substantial inter- and intraethnic variability exists in the frequencies of CYP2C9*2 and *3 and VKORC1 -1639A alleles. However, the prevalence of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genetic variants is less characterized in Arab populations. A total of 131 healthy adult subjects from the Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia were genotyped for the CYP2C9 *2 and *3 and VKORC1 -1639G>A polymorphisms by PCR-RFLP method. The frequencies of the CYP2C9 *2 and *3 and VKORC1 -1639A alleles were 13.3%, 2.3%, and 42.4%, respectively, with no subjects carrying 2 defective alleles. The frequencies of the CYP2C9 *3 and VKORC1 -1639A alleles were significantly lower than those reported in different Arabian populations. None of the subjects with the VKORC1 -1639AA genotype were carriers of CYP2C9 *1/*3 genotypes that lead to sensitivity to COAs therapy. The low frequency of the CYP2C9 *3 allele combined with the absence of subjects carrying 2 defective CYP2C9 alleles suggests that, in this specific population, pharmacogenetic COAs dosing may mostly rely upon VKORC1 genotyping.

Effect of genetic variants, especially CYP2C9 and VKORC1, on the pharmacology of warfarin

The genes encoding the cytochrome P450 2C9 enzyme (CYP2C9) and vitamin K-epoxide reductase complex unit 1 (VKORC1) are major determinants of anticoagulant response to warfarin. Together with patient demographics and clinical information, they account for approximately one-half of the warfarin dose variance in individuals of European descent. Recent prospective and randomized controlled trial data support pharmacogenetic guidance with their use in warfarin dose initiation and titration. Benefits from pharmacogenetics-guided warfarin dosing have been reported to extend beyond the period of initial dosing, with supportive data indicating benefits to at least 3 months. The genetic effects of VKORC1 and CYP2C9 in African and Asian populations are concordant with those in individuals of European ancestry; however, frequency distribution of allelic variants can vary considerably between major populations. Future randomized controlled trials in multiethnic settings using population-specific dosing algorithms will allow us to further ascertain the generalizability and cost-effectiveness of pharmacogenetics-guided warfarin therapy. Additional genome-wide association studies may help us to improve and refine dosing algorithms and potentially identify novel biological pathways.

UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A4 (UGT1A4) polymorphisms in a Jordanian population

Glucuronidation is one of the most important phase II metabolic pathways. It is catalyzed by a family of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase enzymes (UGTs). One of the subfamilies is UGT1A. Allele frequencies in UGT1A4 differ among ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to determine the allelic frequency of two most common defective alleles: UGT1A4*2 and UGT1A4*3 in a Jordanian population. A total of 216 healthy Jordanian Volunteers (165 males and 51 females) were included in this study. Genotyping for UGT1A4*1, UGT1A4*2 and UGT1A4*3 was done using a well established polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism test. Among 216 random individuals studied for UGT1A4*2 mutation there were 26 individuals who were heterozygous, giving a prevalence of 12% and an allele frequency of 6.5%. Only one individual was homozygous for UGT1A4*2. The UGT1A4*3 mutation was detected as heterozygous in 9 of 216 individuals indicating a prevalence of 4.2% and allele frequency of 3.5%. Three individuals were homozygous for the UGT1A4*3 indicating a prevalence of 1.4%. The prevalence of UGT1A4*2 is similar to the Caucasians but different from other populations whilst the UGT1A4*3 prevalence in the Jordanian population is distinct from other populations. Our results provide useful information for the Jordanian population and for future genotyping of Arab populations in general.

Population differences in major functional polymorphisms of pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics-related genes in Eastern Asians and Europeans: implications in the clinical trials for novel drug development

Drug lag, recently discussed extensively in Japan, can be divided into two phases: clinical development time and application review time. The former factor is still an important problem that might be improved by promoting multi-regional clinical trials and considering the results from other similar populations with Japanese, such as Koreans and Chinese. In this review, we compare the allelic or genotype frequencies of 30 relatively common functional alleles mainly between Eastern Asians and Europeans as well as among 3 major populations in Eastern Asian countries, Japan, Korea, and China, in 12 pharmacokinetics (PK)/pharmacodynamics (PD)-related genes; CYP2C9 (*2 and *3), CYP2C19 (*2, *3 and *17), 13 CYP2D6 haplotypes including *4, *5 and *10, CYP3A5 (*3), UGT1A1 (*28 and *6), NAT2 (*5, *6 and *7), GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes, SLCO1B1 521T>C, ABCG2 421C>A, and HLA-A*31:01 and HLA-B*58:01. In this review, differences in allele frequencies (AFs) or genotype frequencies (GFs) less than 0.1 (in the cases of highest AF (GF) ≥0.1) or less than 0.05 (in the cases of lowest AF (GF) <0.1) were regarded as similar. Between Eastern Asians and Europeans, AFs (or GFs) are regarded as being different for many alleles such as CYP2C9 (*2), CYP2C19 (*2, *3 and *17), CYP2D6 (*4 and *10), CYP3A5 (*3), UGT1A1 (*28 and *6), NAT2 (*5*7), GSTT1 null and ABCG2 421C>A. Among the 3 Eastern Asian populations, however, only AFs of CYP2C19*3, CYP2D6*10, HLA-A*31:01 and HLA-B*58:01 are regarded as dissimilar. For CYP2C19*3, the total functional impact on CYP2C19 could be small if the frequencies of the two null alleles CYP2C19*2 and *3 are combined. Regarding CYP2D6*10, frequency difference over 0.1 is observed only between Japanese and Chinese (0.147). Although environmental factors should be considered for PK/PD differences, we could propose that among Japan, Korea, and China, genetic differences are very small for the analyzed common PK-related gene polymorphisms. On the other hand, AFs of the two HLA alleles important for cutaneous adverse drug reactions are diverse even among Eastern Asians and thus should be taken into account.