ABCB1 variants confer susceptibility to primary open-angle glaucoma and predict individual differences to latanoprost treatment.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated whether ABCB1 variants confer susceptibility to primary open-angle glaucoma and predict individual differences to latanoprost treatment.

METHODS

Between May 2013 and May 2015, 129 POAG patients enrolled in the Department of Ophthalmology, the Second People's Hospital of Yunnan Province were identified as the case group and 121 healthy individuals were included as the control group. Direct DNA sequencing was used to detect four ABCB1 gene polymorphisms, namely, -129T>C (rs3213619), 1236C>T (rs1128503), 2677G>T/A (rs2032582) and 3435C>T (rs1045642). All POAG patients received latanoprost eye drops once daily. The differences in intraocular pressure (IOP) and visual acuity (VA) before and 1 month after latanoprost treatment were compared in different SNPs genotypes.

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences in genotype frequency were found in ABCB1 gene polymorphism 2677G>T/A and 3435C>T between the case group and the control group (both P<0.05). No significant difference in genotype frequency was found in -129T> C and 1236C>T between the two groups (both P>0.05). Importantly, ABCB1 gene 3435C>T polymorphism was associated with a remarkably reduced IOP and an improved VA in POAG patients before and after latanoprost eye drops treatment (both P < 0.05). However, no significant differences in IOP and VA were found in other three genotypes between the two groups (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that ABCB1 gene polymorphisms 2677G>T/A and 3435C>T may confer to associated with the susceptibility to POAG. The ABCB1 gene polymorphism 3435C>T may be linked to individual differences in response to latanoprost eye drops treatment in POAG patients.