Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of inflammation on the gene expression of three cytochrome P450's (CYP) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the rectal and colonic mucosa in patients with proctitis.
Methods: Biopsies were obtained from inflamed and normal mucosa in association with routine sigmoidoscopy in patients with proctitis. The biopsies were snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Real time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) was used for quantitative analyses of mRNA specific for the CYP2E1, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 gene and the MDR1 genes. Values were normalised based on gene expression of beta-actin to enable comparisons between samples.
Results: The gene expression of CYP2E1 and CYP3A4 was lower in mucosa with severe inflammation vs normal mucosa (p<0.05). For CYP3A5 and P-gp there was no significant difference when comparing normal and inflammatory changed mucosa.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that at least for some of the CYP enzymes the expression decreases in response to the inflammatory process in the gastrointestinal tract.