Inherited variation in the xenobiotic response system in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

The aim of this study was to further the understanding regarding the genetic background of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD patients can be classified into two major phenotypes, Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), both of which are thought to result from the complex interplay of multiple genetic and environmental factors in genetically predisposed individuals. Evidence from several studies suggests that the xenobiotic metabolism system may play a role in IBD. We therefore investigated the inheritance of polymorphisms in genes involved in the xenobiotic response system in a population of IBD patients and healthy controls. To this aim, the association of functional polymorphisms of the nuclear receptors, PXR, CAR, FXR and RXRa, and the xenobiotic metabolising enzymes, MDR1 and MRP3, with disease in IBD populations was examined.