Influence of the rs1080985 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of the CYP2D6 Gene and APOE Polymorphism on the Response to Donepezil Treatment in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease in China

BACKGROUND/AIM Recent data have indicated that the rs1080985 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 and the common apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene may affect the response to donepezil in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated this association in Chinese patients with mild-to-moderate AD. METHODS In this prospective cohort study, analyses of CYP2D6 and APOE were conducted in 208 native Chinese patients with mild-to-moderate AD. All patients were treated with donepezil 5 mg/day for 6 months, and the response to treatment was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination. RESULTS No significant differences between responders (68.9%) and nonresponders (31.1%) to donepezil treatment (6 months' duration) were observed in the distribution of the CYP2D6 rs1080985 SNP, common APOE polymorphism or a combination of the two. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that neither the CYP2D6 nor the APOE polymorphism influences the 6-month response to donepezil treatment in a Chinese population with AD.