THE ROLE OF POLYMORPHISM OF TIOPURINE METHYLTRANSFERASE IN THERAPY WITH AZATHIOPRINE. PRELIMINARY STUDY

Azathioprine is an immunosuppressive medication used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases (MICI). Despite its extensive use in therapy, azathioprine can result in serious side effects such as myelosuppression. The likelihood of developing myelosuppression also depends on genetic factors: one of the enzymes involved in drug metabolism, methyltransferase tiopurine (TPMT), is subject to genomic polymorphism. To date, 40 polymorphisms have been identified, of which three are associated with a reduction in enzymatic activity. These are TPMT*2, TPMT*3A and TPMT*3C polymorphisms. TPMT*1 is the wild-type coding form for an enzyme capable of efficiently metabolizing the drug. The objective of t…