Lack of association between the ABCB1 G2677 W polymorphism and the lipid-lowering effects of atorvastatin in Tunisian patients

Background ABCB1, also known as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), is the most well studied member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family of transporters. ABCB1 is embedded in the lumen-facing epithelial cell membranes of many biological barriers of organisms and is an efficient ATP-dependent efflux pump that is mainly responsible for the removal of numerous xenobiotics. However, ABCB1 may play a role in additional, more intrinsic functions. A number of researches have evaluated the association between the ABCB1 polymorphism and the lipid-lowering response of statins, but the results have been inconclusive. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible association between the ABCB1 G2677 W polymorphism and changes in lipids in patients following atorvastatin treatment. Methods A total of 122 unrelated coronary patients (54.06 ± 8.74 years old) were enrolled in this study and given 40 mg of atorvastatin daily for 8 weeks. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) serum levels were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment. ABCB1 G2677 W polymorphism was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results The 8-week treatment with atorvastatin significantly reduced TC (1.37 ± 0.27 g/L vs. 1.87 ± 0.47 g/L; P  = 0.03), TG (1.50 ± 0.30 g/L vs. 1.99 ± 0.70 g/L, P  = 0.002), and LDL (0.77 ± 0.27 g/L vs. 1.15 ± 0.36 g/L, P  = 0.001) levels, but there was no statistical difference among patients with wild type ABCB1 G2677 W in the lipid-lowering efficacy of atorvastatin. Conclusion The present study found that the ABCB1 G2677 W polymorphism does not affect the lipid-lowering efficacy of atorvastatin.