The cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is a cytochrome P450 enzyme involved in the oxidative biotransformation of the xenobiotics, carcinogens and various clinically important drugs. Patients are evaluated in three sub-groups of extensive (EM), intermediate (IM) and poor metabolizer (PM) phenotypes due to their drug-metabolising ability for the target CYP2D6 gene. Colchicine non-responsive FMF patients were prospectively genotyped for the major CYP2D6 alleles in the current study. Major CYP2D6 alleles of *1, *3, *4, *5, and *6 were genotyped for 30 responsive and 60 non-responsive FMF patients by multiplex PCR-based reverse-hybridization StripAssay and real-time PCR methods. DNA banks isolated from blood-EDTA were retrospectively used in the current patients and results were compared statistically. Increased CYP2D6 *4 and *6 allele frequencies were highly detected in the colchicine non-responsive FMF patients when compared to the responsive group. Results showed the frequencies of major CYP2D6 *1(wild), *3(2637A > delA), *4(G1934A), *5(total gene deletion) and *6(1707T del) alleles in 0.550, 0.042, 0.158, 0.025 and 0.225 for non-responder and 0.880 and 0.120 (CYP2D6*1 and *4) for the responder groups, respectively. Despite small sample size, this study suggests that there is an association between CYP2D6*4 and CYP2D6*6 alleles and drug intoxicants in colchicine non-responder FMF patients.
Keywords: CYP2D6 polymorphism; Colchicine resistance; FMF; Pharmacogenetics.