ABCB1, ABCC2, SCN1A, SCN2A, GABRA1 gene polymorphisms and drug resistant epilepsy in the Chinese Han population

Drug resistance is common in epilepsy despite multiple available medications. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) may influence drug efficacy in epilepsy. We therefore aimed to clarify the association between polymorphisms of several controversial SNP loci and drug resistance in Chinese Han epilepsy patients from central China. Among all the 391 recruited subjects, 235 and 156 patients were classified into a drug responsive and resistant group, respectively, according to the definition of drug resistance proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy. The candidate SNP loci, including ATP-binding cassette (ABC) subfamily gene ABCB1 rs2032582 and rs1045642; ABC subfamily gene ABCC2 rs717620 and rs2273697; sodium channel subunit gene SCN1A rs3812718, SCN2A rs2304016; γ-amino butyric acid type A (GABA_A) receptor subunit subtype gene GABRA1 rs2279020 were genotyped following the Illumina protocols. There were no significant differences in allelic or genotypic frequencies between the drug responsive and resistant patients. The polymorphisms of the above SNP loci may not be associated with drug resistance of epilepsy in the Chinese Han population.