Investigation of the Mutation Points and Effects of Some Drugs on Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase-deficient People in the Erzurum Region

Abstract

We have carried out a systematic study of the molecular basis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency on three samples of 1,183 children aged 0.5–6 years from Erzurum, in eastern Anatolia. Total genomic DNAs were isolated from the blood samples of a healthy person and the three persons determined with G6PD deficiency by examining the enzyme activity and hemoglobin ratio. Then PCR amplification of the entire coding region in eight fragments was carried out followed by Agarose gel electrophoresis. The 540-bp PCR fragment containing exons VI-VII and the 550 bp PCR fragment containing exons XI-XIII were digested with EcoRI and with NIaIII, respectively. SSCP techniques for eight fragments (exons II, III-IV, V, VI-VII, VIII, IX, X, and XI-XIII) were employed to determine the mutations on the exons of the G6PD gene. A mutation occurred on the region of the exons 6 and 7 of one person (person-1) and exon 5 of two G6PD-deficient persons (person 2 and 3) examined. The sequential approach described is fast and efficient and could be applied to other populations.Effects of analgesic drugs on G6PD were studied on the purified enzyme (ammonium fractionation, dialysis and 2',5' ADP-Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography) for the healthy person and G6PD-deficient persons 1, 2 and 3. The effects of remifentanil hydrochloride, fentanyl citrate, alfentanil hydrochloride and pethidine hydrochloride, as analgesic drugs, on G6PD activity were tested. Although remifentanil hydrochloride, fentanyl citrate (I50 values; 1.45 mM and 6.1 mM, respectively) inhibited the activity of the enzyme belonging to the healthy person, they did not alter enzyme activity on two of the three persons with G6PD deficiency. Other drugs (alfentanil hydrochloride and pethidine hydrochloride) did not effect the enzyme activity of the healthy or G6PD-deficient children.