The tolerance of immunosuppressors is determined by genes

Cyclosporine A is used to suppress the immune response in the body of patients who have undergone kidney transplantation. Without its use, in most cases, rejection of the transplanted organ occurs. But, unfortunately, cyclosporine A causes serious side effects, such as high blood pressure, increased risk of infection and the development of cancers, kidney failure. Often, side effects make themselves felt even when cyclosporine is used in a dosage comparable to its normal blood level. Therefore, determining the patient's sensitivity to the drug is one of the top priorities for transplantologists.

Doctors from the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacology (Italy) – Giuseppe Remuzzi and Piero Ruggenenti – have suggested that sensitivity to cyclosporine may be genetically determined. In particular, they suggested that the ABCB1 gene, which encodes a protein that transports drugs from the cell, may play a role in this case. In patients whose ABCB1 gene has several mutations, the transport protein shows low activity, and drugs accumulate in cells of various tissues. It is this phenomenon that supposedly contributes to the side effects of drugs.

Genetic analysis of the material obtained from 147 patients with transplanted kidneys showed that certain polymorphisms in two coding regions of the ABCB1 gene are associated with an increase in side effects by 3-4 times. Carrying out a genetic test to identify these polymorphisms will allow to determine the sensitivity of the patient and assign him an individual dose of drugs even before the operation itself.

The article Cattaneo D. et al ABCB1 Genotypes Predict Cyclosporine-Related Adverse Events and Kidney Allograft Outcome is published by the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN)

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Newswise: Gene Test Determines Transplant Drug Tolerance26.05.2009