Purpose: P-glycoprotein 170 encoded by the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene exports various antiepileptic drugs out of the CNS, which leads to multidrug resistance. This study was performed to elucidate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the MDR1 gene and drug resistance in Koreans with epilepsy.
Subjects and methods: Three SNPs at nucleotide position 1236 in exon 12, 2677 in exon 21 and 3435 in exon 26 of the MDR1 gene were genotyped in 207 Korean epileptics. Subjects were classified according to whether they had drug-resistant (RS group; N=99) or drug-responsive epilepsy (RP group; N=108). The frequencies of genotype and haplotype were compared between the RS and RP groups.
Results: The frequencies of genotype and haplotype in the RS group were not statistically different from those in the RP group.
Conclusions: In Korean epileptics, there was no significant relationship between three known SNPs in MDR1 and drug resistance. And there was no association of MDR1 haplotype based on above three sites with pharmacoresistance.