title: Association between ABCB1 Polymorphisms and Antidepressant Treatment Response in Taiwanese Major Depressive Patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The multidrug resistance 1 (ABCB1, MDR1) gene, encoding P-glycoprotein, is extensively distributed and expressed in various tissues, such as a blood-brain barrier transporter. P-glycoprotein plays an important role in controlling the passage of substances between the blood and brain. The current study aimed to investigate possible associations of functional ABCB1polymorphisms (C3435T, G2677T and C1236T) with response to antidepressant treatment and serum cortisol levels in Taiwanese patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 112 MDD patients who were randomized to fluoxetine (n=58, mean dose: 21.4±4.5 mg/day) or venlafaxine (n=54, 80.2±34.7 mg/day) treatment for 6 weeks. The 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was administered initially and biweekly after treatment, and cortisol levels were assessed initially and after 6-week antidepressant treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The initial HDRS scores and the HDRS scores after six weeks of antidepressant treatment were not significantly different among the different genotypes in each polymorphism of ABCB1. The percentage changes of HDRS scores over time were significantly different in the polymorphisms of ABCB1G2677T (p=0.002). MDD patients with the G/G genotype of ABCB1G2677T had a worse antidepressant treatment response. However, the polymorphisms of ABCB1genotypes were not significantly associated with cortisol levels before and after antidepressant treatment in MDD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggested that the variants of ABCB1may influence the short-term antidepressant response in MDD patients. Further details of the underlying mechanisms of ABCB1in antidepressant treatment remain to be clarified.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.|School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hui Hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.|School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chen-Hsi
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.|Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen Kuang
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.|Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: I Hui
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.|Addiction Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Po See
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: Antidepressive agents; Hydrocortisone; Major depressive disorder; P-Glycoproteins; Polymorphism