Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Genes linked to phenobarbital response in epileptic dogs
By Kennerly, Erin M et al.·Published in Pharmacogenetics and genomics·2009·Department of Genetics, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pharmacogenetic association study of 30 genes with phenobarbital drug response in epileptic dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 125 dogs with epilepsy to understand how their genetics might affect how well they respond to phenobarbital, a common medication for seizures. Researchers found five genes that could be linked to how effectively the drug works in these dogs. While these findings are promising, they need more research to confirm if these genetic markers can reliably predict which dogs will respond best to phenobarbital. For now, veterinarians may still need to try different treatments to find the right one for each dog.
People also search for: dog epilepsy treatment · phenobarbital response in dogs · genetic testing for dog seizures
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Epilepsy, with a prevalence as high as 6%, is the most common neurological disorder in dogs. Although several antiepileptic drugs are in common use, in one-third of all epileptic dogs, adequate seizure control is not achieved with a single medication, and hence a combinatorial drug treatment must be adopted. Exploration of the genetic mechanisms involved in drug response may provide better treatment options for epileptic patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: A custom Illumina BeadChip was designed for high throughput genotyping of 384 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 30 genes involved in drug metabolism, drug targeting, and drug transport. A case-control association study of 125 epileptic dogs identified five genes with suggestive association to phenobarbital drug response: KCNQ3, P=0.0003; SNC2A2, P=0.0008; EPOX HYD, P=0.0005; ABCC4, P=0.0091; and GABRA2, P=0.0130. These associations are not significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons, but on functional grounds may tag strong candidate genes. The study was powered to detect alleles with at least 3.5-fold additive increases in responsiveness. A combined area under the curve value of 0.74 from receiver operating curve analysis also provides suggestive support for their consideration as canine pharmacogenetic markers. CONCLUSION: Further replication and assessment of breed specificity is required before these markers can be considered as predictive of responsiveness to phenobarbital in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19841609/