Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel is standard of care for secondary prevention in non-cardioembolic minor acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and high-risk transient ischemic attack (TIA). However, clopidogrel is a prodrug metabolized to its active form by the CYP2C19 enzyme and therefore has decreased efficacy in patients with at least one loss-of-function (LOF) allele in the CYP2C19 gene that encodes the enzyme. The use of ticagrelor over clopidogrel for DAPT improves outcomes in CYP2C19 LOF carriers; however, CYP2C19 genotyping is not currently standard practice in the cerebrovascular population. P2Y12 assays that measure P2Y12 receptor-mediated platelet aggregation in platelet reactivity units (PRUs) are more widely accessible, but it is unclear if this assay correlates with CYP2C19 genotype in this population. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the correlation between CYP2C19 genotype and PRUs to evaluate PRUs as a potential surrogate biomarker for identifying suboptimal clopidogrel response. We hypothesized that PRUs would be increased in CYP2C19 LOF carriers compared to non-carriers due to the reduced bioactivation of clopidogrel in patients with decreased CYP2C19 enzymatic function. This prospective, observational study enrolled patients > 18 years of age presenting with minor AIS or high-risk TIA and discharged from University of Virginia Health on DAPT for secondary stroke prevention. A whole blood sample for P2Y12 assay and CYP2C19 genotyping was obtained at least 12 hours after a 300 milligram clopidogrel loading dose. The primary outcome was the correlation between PRUs and CYP2C19 LOF allele carrier status. Of 35 patients genotyped, 27 (77%) subjects self-reported European ancestry, 7 (20%) African ancestry, and 1 (3%) Asian ancestry. Six participants (17%) were found to be LOF carriers. LOF carriers had significantly increased PRUs compared to non-carriers (mean difference +103.7; 95% CI +30.71 to +176.1; p<0.01), indicating diminished pharmacodynamic response to clopidogrel. This suggests that measurement of PRUs via an accessible and established P2Y12 assay may be a viable surrogate biomarker for identifying suboptimal clopidogrel response in the cerebrovascular population.
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