In pharmacotherapeutics, the term "correct dosing" is based on the concept that too high a systemic concentration will lead to drug toxicity, while drug levels that are too low may not produce the intended therapeutic effect. Often, the factors determining the ability of a patient to manage a given dose rely on their capacity to efficiently metabolize and eliminate drugs from the body. The liver plays a crucial role in the processing of many clinically relevant drugs via three stages of hepatic drug management. Drugs must first be taken into hepatocytes by uptake transporters. Drugs are then metabolized by phase I and phase II enzymes to make them more manageable. Finally, metabolites are removed from the hepatocyte by efflux transporters either into the bile for elimination or reintroduction to systemic blood. Alterations in one or more of the hepatic drug management stages increase the potential for adverse drug reactions (ADRs).In the United States, ADRs account for between 3%-12% of admissions to hospitals, and approximately 5% of deaths each year. While less than 20% of these cases are due to genetic polymorphisms, the vast majority of ADRs are due to environmental factors including disease. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprises a spectrum of conditions progressing from steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and often leading to cirrhosis. Presently, NASH patients represent the greatest population of candidates for liver transplant, illustrating the severity as well as the incidence of this disease. Patients with NAFLD are typically treated for co-existing conditions of the metabolic syndrome (i.e. hyperlipidemina or type II diabetes) and therefore represent a distinct population at risk for adverse drug reactions.The following studies show that experimental NAFLD affects both the signal transduction pathways regulating hepatic drug management genes as well as the hepatic uptake transporter function. Additionally, patient livers diagnosed with progressive stages of NAFLD, display altered CYP activity and efflux transporter expression similar to those previously reported in experimental NAFLD. Given that changes observed in experimental NAFLD result in functional changes in hepatic drug management, similar changes observed in patients with this disease suggest an increased risk for ADRs.

Genetische Polymorphismen in den Enzymen CYP2D6, CYP2C19 und CYP2C9 beeinflussen die Pharmakokinetik medizinisch bedeutsamer Arzneimittel wie Antidepressiva, oraler Antidiabetika und nichtsteroidaler Antiphlogistika in erheblichem Ausmaß. In der Zukunft kann die Bestimmung genetischer Varianten bei Patienten zur Verbesserung der Arzneitherapie genutzt werden, jedoch nur dann, wenn klinische Konsequenzen wie konkrete Therapieempfehlungen aus den genetischen Daten abgeleitet werden können. An gesunden Probanden wurde die die Bedeutung der beiden Aminosäurevarianten des Enzyms CYP2C9, Arg144Cys (CYP2C9*2) und Leu359Ile (CYP2C9*3) für die Pharmakokinetik von Tolbutamid, Glibenclamid, Nateglinid, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Celecoxib und Fluvastatin untersucht. Die Analyse der pharmakokinetischen Parameter ergab eine erheblich erniedrigte Clearance für diese Substrate bei homozygoten Trägern der Allelvariante CYP2C9*3, wie sie etwa 1% in der Bevölkerung tragen. Um bioäquivalente Konzentrationsverläufe zu erreichen, müssten diese Patienten deutlich niedrigere Dosierungen (unter 50%) der meisten der untersuchten CYP2C9-Substrate erhalten. Hingegen zeigte die CYP2C9*2-Variante nur einen geringen Einfluss auf die Pharmakokinetik der untersuchten Medikamente. Für den Bereich der Therapie mit Antidepressiva und Antipsychotika sollte untersucht werden, inwieweit umfassende pharmakogenetisch begründete Therapieempfehlungen gegeben werden können. Eine systematische Analyse aller bisher publizierten Daten zum Einfluss von Polymorphismen von CYP2D6, CYP2C19 und CYP2C9 ergab, dass für die meisten gängigen Antidepressiva bereits Studien zur Bedeutung von Cytochrom-P450-Polymorphismen durchgeführt wurden. Für die beiden in Deutschland sehr häufig verwendeten Trizyklika Trimipramin und Doxepin dagegen lagen keine ausreichenden Daten vor. Beide Medikamente wurden deshalb bei Probanden getestet, die jeweils Träger eines oder zweier Allele mit defizienter oder herabgesetzter Enzymaktivität von CYP2D6, CYP2C19 oder CYP2C9 waren. Es ergab sich ein deutlicher Einfluss des CYP2D6-Genotyps, ein schwächerer von CYP2C19 und des Genotyps CYP2C9*3/*3. Eine Dosisreduktion für Langsam-Metabolisierer von CYP2D6 und etwas moderater für Langsam-Metabolisierer von CYP2C19, sowie für Träger des Genotyps CYP2C9*3/* erscheint für diese beiden Antidepressiva sinnvoll. Die eigenen Daten und die Daten für andere Antidepressiva aus der Literatur wurden dazu verwendet, eine Methode zur Ableitung von pharmakogenetisch basierten Dosierungsempfehlungen zu entwickeln. Auf dem Prinzip der Bioäquivalenz basierend wurden Dosierungsanpassungen für unterschiedliche Genotypen je nach Unterschieden in der Clearance von Substanzen errechnet. Durch diese Dosierungsanpassungen können zumindest theoretisch die durch herabgesetzte Enzymaktivität verursachten Unterschiede in den Plasmakonzentrationsverläufen von Medikamenten ausgeglichen werden. Dabei wurden aktive an der Arzneimittelwirkung teilhabende Metaboliten mit berücksichtigt. Auf Seiten der Pharmakodynamik wurden die vielen Studien zu genetischen Polymorphismen in Serotonin-, Dopaminrezeptoren und Transportern und auch zu anderen Kandidatengenen für die Antidepressiva-, und Antipsychotikawirkung analysiert. Jedoch lassen sich aus den teilweise geringen Einflüssen einzelner Genotypen auf die Arzneimittelwirkung derzeit noch keine pharmakodynamisch begründeten Therapieempfehlungen ableiten. Zusammenfassend lassen sich also bereits heute pharmakogenetisch basierte Dosierungsempfehlungen für viele Medikamente berechnen. Derartige Empfehlungen müssen prospektiv überprüft, validiert und angepasst werden. Auf Seiten der Zielmoleküle der Arzneimittelwirkung ist eine Ableitung genetisch basierter Therapieempfehlungen schwieriger. Das Ziel, konkrete Therapieempfehlungen aus genetischen Daten abzuleiten, ist eine notwendige Bedingung, um Pharmakogenetik in die klinische Praxis der Arzneitherapie einzuführen. / Genetic polymorphisms of the cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP2D6, CYP2C19 and CYP2C9 largely influence pharmacokinetics of clinically important drugs such as antidepressants, oral antidiabetics and nonsteroidal antiphlogistic drugs. Pharmacogenetic diagnostics is ready to be used for optimization of drug treatment in the future if concise recommendations for clinical decisions can be derived from the genetic data. Panel studies in healthy volunteers served to characterize the impact of the amino acid variants Arg144Cys (CYP2C9*2) and Leu359Ile (CYP2C9*3) in cytochrome P450 2C9 on pharmacokinetics of the oral antidiabetics tolbutamide, glyburide and nateglinide, of the nonsteroidal analgetic drugs diclofenac, ibuprofen, celecoxib, and of fluvastatin. Analysis of pharmacokinetic parameters revealed largely reduced oral clearances in homozygous carriers of the CYP2C9*3 allele for most of the substrates studied. About 1% in the general population are carriers of this genotype and patients should get about 50% lower doses of most of the CYP2C9 substrates in order to achieve similar plasma concentration versus time courses. In contrast, the CYP2C9*2 variant had little influence on pharmacokinetics of the CYP2C9 substrates. For antidepressant and antipsychotic drug therapy, the aim was to derive detailed dose recommendations from the large amount of data existing. Thus, a systematic analysis of all published data on the clinical influence of genetic polymorphisms in CYP2D6, CYP2C19 and CYP2C9 was performed and dose recommendations were given for many antidepressants. For two substances, the tricyclics doxepin and trimipramine, no pharmacogenetic data have been found, and therefore own clinical studies were performed. Healthy volunteers who were heterozygous and homozygous carriers of alleles with deficient activity of CYP2D6, CYP2C19 or CYP2C9 were tested for differences in metabolism and elimination of doxepin and trimipramine and compared to carriers of the wildtype. A significant influence of the CYP2D6 genotype was detected whereas CYP2C19 and the genotype CYP2C9*3/*3 had smaller influences. A significant dose reduction for CYP2D6 poor metabolizers and a smaller reduction for CYP2C19 poor metabolizers would be predicted from these data. According the principles of bioequivalence, calculation methods for pharmacogenetic based dose recommendations from clearance or drug concentration data were developed. Using all published data and the own study results, we developed dose adjustments for each genotype. These dose adjustments would allow to compensate for lower drug clearance caused by genetic variants. Active metabolites which contribute to overall drug effects were considered as well. With regard to target molecules of antidepressant and antipsychotic drug action, many studies have been performed on genetic polymorphisms in serotonin-, and dopamine receptors and in transporter molecules but as well in other candidate genes. However, it is not yet possible to derive therapeutic consequences based on these data. In conclusion, on the pharmacokinetic side of drug action, we are already able to give pharmacogenetic based therapeutic recommendations by adjusting the doses according to genotype. However, the benefit of pharmacogenetic dose adjustments has to be studied prospectively. With regard to the pharmacodynamic side of drug action, the situation is much more complex and we are not yet ready to give pharmacogenetics based therapeutic guidelines. However, this has to be a major goal in order to introduce pharmacogenetic diagnostic into clinical practice.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Breast cancer is regarded as the most common cancer in South Africa and its rate of occurrence is increasing. About one in every 31 South African women are at the risk of developing breast cancer and early diagnosis and treatment guarantee 90% survival rate. Tamoxifen is the drugs of choice for the treatment of all stages of breast cancer. The drug binds with estrogen receptor (ER) to minimize the transcription of estrogen dependent genes. However, nearly 50% of ER-positive breast cancer patients either become resistant or fail to respond to tamoxifen resulting in a serious clinical challenge in breast cancer management. The Grand Health Challenges of South Africa includes the development of cost effective diagnostic systems suitable for early detection of diseases and drug resistivity for timely invention and better patient management. / 2020-08-31