Genetic Factors for Warfarin Dose Prediction

Abstract

Warfarin, a commonly prescribed anticoagulant drug used to prevent thrombosis, has a narrow therapeutic range, and small dose variations may result in hemorrhagic or thrombotic complications. The 2 key enzymes in the metabolism of warfarin are cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9 ( CYP2C9 gene) and the C1 subunit of the vitamin K 2,3 epoxide reductase complex ( VKORC1 gene). CYP2C9 accounts for up to 85% of the metabolism of the pharmacologically more potent S-warfarin enantiomer, and VKORC1, the 2nd key enzyme in warfarin metabolism, is responsible for recycling reduced vitamin K. In their recent article, Zhu et al. (1) concluded that genotyping both VKORC1 …