Genotype Stratified Pharmacokinetic Study of Montelukast

We have previously reported that montelukast is a substrate for transport by OATP2B1 and that a common variant of SLCO2B1 (the gene coding for OATP2B1), c.[935G>A], which results in the substitution of Arg→Glu at amino acid position 312, was associated with steady-state plasma concentrations of montelukast and response(1). Compared to G/G homozygotes, A/G heterozygotes had lower plasma concentrations at both 1 and 6 months of therapy. Additionally, scores on the Asthma Symptom Utility Index were higher (better asthma control) in G/G homozygotes compared to A/G heterozygotes at both sampling intervals, but not prior to treatment. We concluded that genotype at c.935 may contribute to the variability in response to montelukast.

We recently completed a study of the influence of genotype at c.935 and the co-ingestion of citrus juice on the pharmacokinetics of a single 10-mg dose of montelukast in 26 adolescent subjects with physician-diagnosed asthma (NCT00513760). Twenty-one participants were genotyped as G/G homozygotes and five as A/G heterozygotes. The area under the montelukast plasma concentration vs. time curve (AUC) in A/G heterozygotes was 46% lower than the AUC in G/G homozygotes, replicating our earlier findings that genotype at c.935 influences the pharmacokinetics of montelukast.

Assuming an additive genetic model, our data predict that the AUC of montelukast in individuals carrying the A/A genotype would be even lower than in heterozygotes. The prevalence of the homozygous mutant allele (A/A) is low among African and European Americans (0 - 3%; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/SNP/). However the prevalence of the A/A genotype is 18% in both Asian Americans and Hispanics, and thus these racial / ethnic groups represent an ideal model to test the hypothesis that genotype at c.935 influences the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of montelukast. In this study, we will generate preliminary data showing that the AUC of montelukast is lowest in A/A, intermediate in A/G and highest in G/G and confirm the suitability of this model to replicate our earlier findings that genotype at c.935 is associated with response to montelukast.