Kazushi Sawamura

The effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine 3A and 3B receptor genes on nausea induced by paroxetine

We investigated the effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine 3A and 3B receptor (HTR3A and HTR3B) gene polymorphisms on nausea induced by paroxetine in Japanese psychiatric patients. Blood samples were collected from 78 individuals after at least 2 weeks treatment with the same daily dose of paroxetine. The patients visited every 2 weeks and the paroxetine dose was changed in response to their clinical symptoms. Nausea was assessed at each visit. The Tyr129Ser polymorphism of the HTR3B gene had a significant effect on the incidence of nausea (P=0.038). Logistic regression analysis also showed that patients with the Tyr/Tyr genotype had a 3.95-fold (P=0.048) higher risk of developing nausea than patients with the Ser allele. HTR3A gene polymorphisms and the CYP2D6 gene polymorphisms had no significant effect on the incidence of nausea. The mean score of nausea severity was corrected by the Bonferroni test. HTR3B gene polymorphisms are significant predictors of paroxetine-induced nausea.

Polymorphisms in the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor and CytochromeP4502D6 genes synergistically predict fluvoxamine-induced side effects in japanese depressed patients.

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors are thought to be associated with the gastrointestinal side effects induced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. CytochromeP450 (CYP) 2D6 may also be associated with the side effects induced by fluvoxamine, since the plasma fluvoxamine concentration depends on a CYP2D6 gene polymorphism. This study investigated whether 5-HT receptor and CYP2D6 gene polymorphisms could predict the occurrence of the side effects. The effects of 5-HT receptor and CYP2D6 gene polymorphisms on the incidence of gastrointestinal side effects induced by fluvoxamine were investigated in 100 depressed outpatients who gave written consent to participate in the study. The patients visited every 2 weeks until the week 12 end point and the fluvoxamine dose was changed in response to their clinical symptoms. All side effects, including the gastrointestinal side effects, were assessed at each visit. Polymerase chain reaction was used to determine A-1438G of the 5-HT2A receptor, C195T and Pro16Ser of the 5-HT3A receptor, Tyr129Ser of the 5-HT3B receptor, and the *5 and *10 alleles of CYP2D6. Both the A-1438G polymorphism of the 5-HT2A receptor gene and the CYP2D6 gene polymorphism had significant effects on the incidence of gastrointestinal side effects. Cox regression was used to analyze the combination effect of the two polymorphisms on the gastrointestinal side effects. Cox regression analysis showed that lower metabolizers (LMs) of CYP2D6 with the G/G genotype of the 5-HT2A A-1438G polymorphism had a 4.242-fold (P=0.009) and LMs with the A/G genotype had a 4.147-fold (P=0.004) higher risk of developing gastrointestinal side effects than normal metabolizers with the A/A genotype. The 5-HT3A and 3B gene polymorphisms had no significant effects on the incidence of gastrointestinal side effects. 5-HT2A receptor and CYP2D6 gene polymorphisms had a synergistic effect for the prediction of fluvoxamine-induced gastrointestinal side effects.

Diagnostic classification of schizophrenia by neural network analysis of blood-based gene expression signatures

Gene expression profiling with microarray technology suggests that peripheral blood cells might be a surrogate for postmortem brain tissue in studies of schizophrenia. The development of an accessible peripheral biomarker would substantially help in the diagnosis of this disease. We used a bioinformatics approach to examine whether the gene expression signature in whole blood contains enough information to make a specific diagnosis of schizophrenia. Unpaired t-tests of gene expression datasets from 52 antipsychotics-free schizophrenia patients and 49 normal controls identified 792 differentially expressed probes. Functional profiling with DAVID revealed that eleven of these genes were previously reported to be associated with schizophrenia, and 73 of them were expressed in the brain tissue. We analyzed the datasets with one of the supervised classifiers, artificial neural networks (ANNs). The samples were subdivided into training and testing sets. Quality filtering and stepwise forward selection identified 14 probes as predictors of the diagnosis. ANNs were then trained with the selected probes as the input and the training set for known diagnosis as the output. The constructed model achieved 91.2% diagnostic accuracy in the training set and 87.9% accuracy in the hold-out testing set. On the other hand, hierarchical clustering, a standard but unsupervised classifier, failed to separate patients and controls. These results suggest analysis of a blood-based gene expression signature with the supervised classifier, ANNs, might be a diagnostic tool for schizophrenia.

The effects of a 5-hydroxytryptamine 1A receptor gene polymorphism on the clinical response to fluvoxamine in depressed patients

We investigated the effects of a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 1A receptor gene polymorphism on the clinical response to fluvoxamine (FLV) in 65 depressed outpatients who gave written consent to participate in the study. Patients visited every 2 weeks after the first examination until the week 12 end point and were evaluated by the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-17) at each visit. FLV dose was changed in response to their clinical symptoms. The Gly272Asp polymorphism of the 5-HT1A receptor gene was identified by a PCR method. The subjects with the Asp allele had a significantly higher % reduction in the HAM-D-17 score than those with the Gly/Gly genotype at week 2 (P=0.009), week 6 (P=0.036), and week 12 (P=0.031). There was a significant difference in the genotype distribution between the responders and nonresponders. These results suggest that the Gly272Asp polymorphism of the 5-HT1A receptor gene may predict the response to FLV.

Dose-dependent Effects of the 3435 C>t Genotype of abcb1 Gene on the Steady-state Plasma Concentration of Fluvoxamine in Psychiatric Patients

Abstract: This study investigated effects of the 3435 C>T genotype of the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1, MDR1) gene on the steady-state plasma concentration of fluvoxamine (FLV). Methods: Sixty-two psychiatric patients were treated with different doses (50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/d) of FLV. Blood samples were collected after at least 2 weeks of treatment with the same daily dose to obtain steady-state concentrations of FLV, and 3435 C>T genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction. Results: FLV concentration-to-dose ratio was significantly different among 3435 C>T genotype groups at the 200 mg/d dose (P = 0.019). A post-hoc analysis revealed that FLV concentration-to-dose ratio was significantly higher in the TT genotype group as compared with the CC genotype group at the 200 mg/d dose (median value of concentration-to-dose ratio (ng/mL)/(mg/d), 0.861 vs 0.434, P = 0.026). FLV concentration-to-dose ratio was significantly higher in the CT + TT genotype group than the CC genotype group at the 200 mg/d dose (median value of concentration-to-dose ratio (ng/mL)/(mg/d), 0.618 vs 0.434, P = 0.031). At 50, 100, and 150 mg/d dose, FLV concentration-to-dose ratios were not significantly different among 3435 C>T genotype groups. At 50, 100, and 150 mg/d dose, no significant differences were found in FLV concentration-to-dose ratios between the CT + TT genotype group and CC genotype group. Conclusions: This study suggests that pharmacokinetics of FLV depend on ABCB1 gene polymorphism only at the 200 mg/d dose.

Dose-dependent effects of olanzapine on QT intervals and plasma prolactin levels in Japanese patients with stable schizophrenia

There have been few reports regarding olanzapine (OLZ)‐related QT prolongation and hyperprolactinemia. This study evaluated the dose‐dependent effect of OLZ on QT interval and plasma prolactin (PRL) level in a single sample of patients with schizophrenia.

Gender differences in prolactin elevation induced by olanzapine in Japanese drug-naïve schizophrenic patients.

We investigated the effect of gender on plasma prolactin levels in 20 Japanese drug-naïve schizophrenic patients [10 male, 10 female, aged 25.4+/-10.3 (mean+/-S.D.), range = 12-46 years] treated with olanzapine. Plasma prolactin levels were measured at baseline, and weeks 3 and 8 after starting titration of olanzapine. Comparisons of plasma prolactin levels between baseline and week 3, and between baseline and week 8 were made by repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired t-test. Two-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in olanzapine-induced prolactin changes between male and female patients (P = 0.037). In male patients (n = 10), the plasma concentration of prolactin at week 3 was significantly higher than at baseline (P = 0.016), but there was no significant difference between the plasma concentration of prolactin at week 8 and at baseline or week 3 (P = 0.191). In female patients (n = 10), there was a significant change of prolactin between baseline and week 3 (P = 0.005), and between baseline and week 8 (P = 0.047). Our results indicate the possibility of gender differences in prolactin elevation induced by olanzapine in Japanese drug-naïve schizophrenic patients. These gender-based findings may be helpful for clinicians when deciding the frequency of follow-up visits once a patient starts olanzapine therapy.

Effect of Serum Leptin on Weight Gain Induced by Olanzapine in Female Patients with Schizophrenia

Background Olanzapine (OLZ) treatment is associated with a high risk of weight gain, and may cause abnormalities in glycolipid metabolism. Therefore, the underlying mechanism of OLZ-related weight gain is needed to clarify but not yet been adequately determined. In recent years, adipocytokines such as leptin, adiponectin, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, which play important roles in energy homeostasis, have been suggested as biomarkers of weight gain. Here, we determined if baseline plasma concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, and TNF-α predict weight gain following OLZ treatment. Methods We recruited 31 schizophrenia outpatients (12 men and 19 women, 28.8 ± 10.2 years old) that were unmedicated or on another antipsychotic monotherapy medication. Baseline body mass index (BMI) and plasma levels of leptin, adiponectin, and TNF-α were obtained. All patients started or were switched to OLZ monotherapy for a maximum of 1 year. BMI was also obtained at the endpoint. Results Mean BMI change following OLZ treatment was 2.1 ± 2.7 kg/m2. BMI change from baseline to endpoint negatively-correlated with baseline leptin levels in female patients (r = −0.514, P = 0.024), but not male patients. Baseline adiponectin or TNF-α levels were not correlated with BMI change. Conclusion Baseline plasma leptin can have an effect on subsequent weight gain following OLZ treatment in female patients with schizophrenia.

Changes in PR and QTc intervals after switching from olanzapine to risperidone in patients with stable schizophrenia

We examined the difference between the effects of olanzapine (OLZ) and risperidone (RIS) on PR and QT intervals among patients with stable schizophrenia using a cohort analysis.

GIPR Gene Polymorphism and Weight Gain in Patients With Schizophrenia Treated With Olanzapine

Association between gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor polymorphism, rs10423928, and body mass index in olanzapine-treated schizophrenia was examined. Body mass index change for the A/T+A/A genotypes was significantly higher than that for the T/T genotype. rs10423928 may predict weight gain in schizophrenia.