Effects of ABCA1 variants on rosiglitazone monotherapy in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients

Aim： The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between R219K, M883I, and R1587K variants of the ATP-binding cassette transporter subfamily A number 1 （ABCA1） gene and response to rosiglitazone treatment in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods： A total of 105 diabetic patients with no history of antihyperglycemia medication were treated with rosiglitazone （4 or 8 mg daily） for 48 weeks. Three non-synonymous variants R219K, M883I, and R1587K, were genotyped in all patients. Results： Ninety-three patients completed the entire study. The R219K variant of ABCA1 had an effect on rosiglitazone response with the per-allele odds ratio of 2.04 for treatment failure （P〈0.05）. The RR homozygotes had a better improvement in indicators of insulin sensitivity, as determined by a significantly greater decrease in the homeostasis model assessment index of insulin resistance （-2.39±0.46 vs -0.69±0.51, P〈0.05）. No genotype- phenotype association was detected for M883I and R1587K. Conclusion： The R219K variant of ABCA1 was associated with the therapeutic effect of rosiglitazone. The RR homozygotes had a better response to rosiglitazone treatment in terms of insulin sensitivity improvement than minor K allele carriers. Neither the M883I nor R1587K variant of the ABCA1 gene was associated with rosiglitazone response.