CYP2C8 haplotype structures and their influence on pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel in a Japanese population

Objective CYP2C8 is known to metabolize various drugs including an anticancer drug paclitaxel. Although large interindividual differences in CYP2C8 enzymatic activity and several nonsynonymous variations were reported, neither haplotype structures nor their associations with pharmacokinetic parameters of paclitaxel were reported. Methods Haplotype structures of the CYP2C8 gene were inferred by an expectation-maximization based program using 40 genetic variations detected in 437 Japanese patients, which included cancer patients. Associations of the haplotypes and paclitaxel pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed for 199 paclitaxel-administered cancer patients. Results Relatively strong linkage disequilibriums were observed throughout the CYP2C8 gene. We estimated 40 haplotypes without an amino-acid change and nine haplotypes with amino acid changes. The 40 haplotypes were classified into six groups based on network analysis. The patients with heterozygous *IG group haplotypes harboring several intronic variations showed a 2.5-fold higher median area under concentration-time curve of C3'-p-hydroxy-paclitaxel and a 1.6-fold higher median value of C3'-p-hydroxy-paclitaxel/paclitaxel area under concentration-time curve ratio than patients bearing no *IG group haplotypes (P < 0.001 for both comparisons by Mann-Whitney U-test). No statistically significant differences, however, were observed between patients with and without the *IG group (haplotypes) in clearance and area under concentration-time curve of paclitaxel, area under concentration-time curve of 6 alpha-hydroxy-paclitaxel and 6 alpha-, C3'-p-dihydroxy-paclitaxel, and area under concentration-time curve ratio of 6 alpha-hydroxy-paclitaxel/paclitaxell. Conclusion CYP2C8*IG group haplotypes were associated with increased area under concentration-time curve of C3'-p-hydroxy-paclitaxel and area under concentration-time curve ratio of C3'-p-hydroxy-paclitaxel/paclitelxel. Thus, *IG group haplotypes might be associated with reduced CYP2C8 activity, possibly through its reduced protein levels.