PXR variants and artemisinin use in Vietnamese subjects: frequency distribution and impact on the interindividual variability of CYP3A induction by artemisinin.

Artemisinins induce drug metabolism through the activation of the pregnane X receptor (PXR) in vitro. Here, we report the resequencing and genotyping of PXR variants in 75 Vietnamese individuals previously characterized for CYP3A enzyme activity after artemisinin exposure. We identified a total of 31 PXR variants, including 5 novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and we identified significantly different allele frequencies relative to other ethnic groups. A trend of significance was observed between the level of CYP3A4 induction by artemisinin and two PXR variants, the 8118C→T (Y328Y) and 10719A→G variants.