Aim: 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38), the active metabolite of irinotecan, is mainly eliminated hepatically through glucuronidation by UGT1A1 and UGT1A9 enzymes. This study comprehensively investigates the effects of UGT1A1 and UGT1A9 genetic polymorphism on SN-38 glucuronidation activity.
Materials & methods: Genetic polymorphisms and combinational haplotypes of UGT1A1 and UGT1A9, SN-38 glucuronidation activities, and protein levels of UGT1A1 and UGT1A9 were determined using a set of over 45 Chinese livers.
Results: UGT1A1 reduced function variants UGT1A1*6, *28, *60 and *1B exhibited additive effect. The number of UGT1A1 reduced function alleles was associated with decreased SN-38G formation rates and UGT1A protein levels. UGT1A9 I399C>T and UGT1A9*1b, which were highly linked, were associated with increased SN-38 glucuronidation activity and UGT1A protein levels. However, further analysis based on UGT1A9-1A1 haplotypes confirmed that their increased effect was partly due to their close linkage with UGT1A1 reduced function alleles.
Conclusion: UGT1A1 genetic polymorphisms have a more important function in human liver SN-38 glucuronidation activity than UGT1A9. Original submitted 7 November 2013; Revision submitted 30 January 2014.
Keywords: Chinese; SN-38; UGT1A1; UGT1A9; genotype; haplotype; irinotecan.