Influence of the NAT2 gene polymorphic markers on the effectiveness and safety of treatment in patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis based on peripheral red blood cell dynamics

Abstract

Background. Individual sensitivity to isoniazid in tuberculosis patients is determined by the presence of N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) enzyme gene allelic variants in genome. Evaluation of quantitative and qualitative alterations in peripheral blood can be used for diagnosis, disease severity estimation, or as a clue for estimation of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy effectiveness and safety.Aim: Find associations between acetylation type and peripheral red blood cell (RBC) dynamics; determine the effect of NAT2 acetylation rate on the effectiveness and safety of treatment in patients with newly identified pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) residing in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).Methods. This study included 146 patients with various clinical forms of newly diagnosed pulmonary TB. Oral isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol were administered patients. Genotyping was performed via real time PCR.Results. Rapid and intermediate acetylators showed an increase in hemoglobin concentrations and RBC erythrocyte hemoglobin content by the end of chemotherapy (P<0.05). Incidence of anemia was lower in intermediate acetylators, compared to rapid or slow acetylators (P=0.013). Negative correlation was established between absolute RBC count and slow acetylation type (P=0.017). Patients with rapid acetylation type showed increased RBC distribution width indexes RDW-CV and RDW-SD (P<0.05).Conclusions. An adequate therapeutic effect was achieved with standard doses of anti-TB medications in patients with intermediate acetylation type. Rapid and slow acetylators required anti-TB medication dose correction. Genotyping for NAT2 gene in patients with pulmonary TB enables clinicians to choose the optimal dose of anti-TB medications, specifically, isoniazid dose.