Altered distribution of the debrisoquine oxidative phenotypes in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Objective: The recently observed increase in the incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (Type 1 DM) suggests a major role of environmental factors in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. The individual variation in cytochrome P(450)IID6 may influence the individual susceptibility to environmentally linked diseases. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of cytochrome P(450)IID6 phenotypes in Hungarian children with Type 1 DM (n = 69) compared to healthy controls (n = 100).

Methods: Debrisoquine was administered orally and debrisoquine hydroxylation phenotype was determined as a metabolic ratio of urinary recovered debrisoquine and 4-hydroxydebrisoquine.

Results: Eight of the 100 healthy subjects (8%) and 15 of the 69 diabetic children (22%) (p < 0.05) had cytochrome P(450)IID6 poor metabolizer phenotype (metabolic ratio > or =12.6).

Conclusion: Cytochrome P(450)IID6's activity may play a role in the development of Type 1 DM.