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Thiopurine methyltransferase activity in a Korean population sample of children
Author(s) -
ParkHah Jeong Ok,
Klemetsdal Bjørg,
Lysaa Roy,
Choi Kwang Hae,
Aarbakke Jarle
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1016/s0009-9236(96)90169-1
Subject(s) - thiopurine methyltransferase , population , medicine , pharmacology , azathioprine , disease , environmental health
Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) is a cytoplasmic enzyme that catalyzes the S ‐methylation of the cytotoxic drugs 6‐mercaptopurine and azathioprine. Red blood cell (RBC) TPMT activity is subject to genetic polymorphism, and we have previously demonstrated an interethnic difference in TPMT activity. To investigate whether there was a race‐related difference in RBC TPMT activity, TPMT was measured in a Korean population sample of 309 healthy children. Mean TPMT activity in healthy Korean children was 12.4 ± 2.4 units/ml RBC, which is similar to the earlier reported TPMT activities in white populations. In contrast to the bimodal or trimodal frequency distributions of RBC TPMT activity in most other population samples, the frequency distribution histogram, the probit plot, and the Shapiro‐Wilk test supported a normal distribution of TPMT activity in this Korean population sample of healthy children. Mean RBC TPMT activity showed a tendency to decrease with age, but it was not statistically significant. No gender‐related difference in RBC TPMT activity was found. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1996) 60 , 68–74; doi: