Frequencies of Cytochrome P450 2B6 and 2C8 Allelic Variants in the Mozambican Population

Background: The cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP) play an important role in the metabolism of many therapeutic agents. The activities of different enzymes exhibit variability in different populations, which causes variations in drug response or toxicity. The CYP2B6 and CYP2C8 enzymes are encoded by polymorphic genes characterised by different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Several of these CYP variants are often associated with slow metabolism phenotypes. This study aimed to analyse the frequencies of allelic variants of CYP2B6 and CYP2C8 in the Mozambican population. Methods: Using a polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism assay (PCR-RFLP), the frequencies of the allelic variants of CYP2B6 (c.64C>T, c.516G>T, c.777C>A, c.785A>G, c.1459C>T) and CYP2C8 (c.805A>T, c.416G>A, c.1196A>G, c.792C>G) were determined in 360 Mozambican blood donors. Results: The frequencies of the allelic variants of the CYP2B6 gene were 0.057, 0.426, 0.0, 0.410, and 0.004. For the CYP2C8 gene, the frequencies of the allelic variants were 0.160, 0.048, 0.0, and 0.005. No significant differences were observed between the gender and geographic distribution of volunteers around the country. Conclusion: The frequencies of the allelic variants of the CYP2B6 and CYP2C8 genes were found to be homogeneously distributed in the Mozambican population and were comparable to other African populations. Further studies are required to explore the impact of these variants on the clinical response (efficacy and toxicity) of drugs, including antimalarials.

Produçäo do azul da Prússia na marinha / Production of Radiogardase (azul da Prússia) in the navy

O trabalho demonstra todo o esforço realizado pela Diretoria de Saúde da Marinha no atendimento às vítimas de Goiânia, com opçäo inicial pela importaçäo imediata do produto "Radiogardase" (Azul da Prússia) e em seguida pelo desenvolvimento de estudos visando tecnologia apropriada para produçäo do fármaco em nosso meio. Relata todos os meios e recursos colocados à disposiçäo dos farmacêuticos militares lotados no Hospital Central da Marinha, até a obtençäo final do produto, o qual sob a forma de pasta, obteve laudo do Instituto de Radioproteçäo e Dosimetria acusando o êxito das pesquisas. Finalizando, o artigo enumera os fatores indispensáveis a industrializaçäo em nível nacional