6-thioguanosine diphosphate and triphosphate levels in red blood cells and response to azathioprine therapy in Crohn's disease.

Background & Aims: Azathioprine is the gold standard for immunosuppressive therapy in Crohn's disease (CD) and its molecular mechanism of action is caused by the metabolite 6-thioguanosine triphosphate (TGTP). In this study we assessed the impact of TGTP levels for monitoring of azathioprine therapy. Methods: A novel, highly sensitive assay was established to measure levels of TGTP and its precursors 6-thioguanosine monophosphates and 6-thioguanosine diphosphates (TGDP) in red blood cells from 50 CD patients. The results were correlated with clinical outcome. Results: TGTP levels could be quantified in 47 patients and a subgroup of these patients showed significantly high levels of TGDP. 6-…