Pharmacogenetics of alcohol addiction: current perspectives

Abstract

M S Zastrozhin,1,2 V Yu Skryabin,1 S S Miroshkin,1,2 E A Bryun,1,2 D A Sychev1,21Moscow Research and Practical Centre on Addictions of the Moscow Department of Healthcare, Moscow 109390, Russian Federation; 2Department of Addictology, Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow 123995, Russian FederationAbstract: Genetics of alcohol addiction is currently a contradictive and complex field, where data in the most studies reflect methods’ limitations rather than meaningful and complementary results. In our review, we focus on the genetics of alcohol addiction, leaving genetics of acute alcohol intoxication out of the scope. A review of the literature on pharmacogenetic biomarkers development for the pharmacotherapy personalization reveals that today the evidence base concerning these biomarkers is still insufficient. In particular, now the researches with the design of randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis investigating the effect of the SNPs as biomarkers on the therapy efficacy are available for naltrexone only. For other medications, there are only a few studies in small samples. It decreases the possibilities to implement the pharmacogenetic algorithms for the pharmacotherapy personalization in patients with alcohol use disorders (AUD). In view of the importance of the precision approaches development not in addiction medicine only, but in other fields of medicine also to increase the efficacy and safety of the therapy, studies on pharmacogenetic biomarkers development for the medications used in patients with AUD (eg, naltrexone, disulfiram, nalmefene, acamprosate, etc.) remain relevant to this day.Keywords: pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics, alcohol use disorder, naltrexone, acamprosate, nalmefene

Keywords

• Pharmacogenetics
• pharmacogenomics
• alcohol use disorder
• naltrexone
• acamprosate
• nalmefene.