5-HT1B RECEPTOR POLYMORPHISM AND CLINICAL-RESPONSE TO SUMATRIPTAN

The 5-HT1 receptor agonist, sumatriptan, is highly effective in the tr eatment of migraine. Some patients, however, do not respond or experie nce recurrence of the headache. In addition, some patients report ches t symptoms after sumatriptan. We investigated whether these different responses could he attributed to gene;tic diversity Elf the 5-HT1B rec eptor, which most likely mediates the therapeutic action and the coron ary side effects of sumatriptan. Allele frequencies of two polymorphis ms in the 5-HT1B receptor gene (G861C and T-261G) were investigated in migraine patients with consistently goad response to sumatriptan (n = 14), with no response (n = 12), with recurrence of the headache (n = 12), with chest symptoms (n = 13), and in patients without chest sympt oms (n = 27). Allele frequencies (G:0.74; C:0.26 at nt 861 and T:0.39; G:0.61 at nt -261) did not differ between patient groups, indicating that genetic diversity of the 5-HT1B receptor does not seem to be invo lved In the different clinical responses to sumatriptan.