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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 28, 2013; 19(48): 9156-9173
Published online Dec 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i48.9156
Pharmacogenetic considerations for optimizing tacrolimus dosing in liver and kidney transplant patients
Alessio Provenzani, Andrew Santeusanio, Erin Mathis, Monica Notarbartolo, Manuela Labbozzetta, Paola Poma, Ambra Provenzani, Carlo Polidori, Giovanni Vizzini, Piera Polidori, Natale D’Alessandro
Alessio Provenzani, Piera Polidori, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (ISMETT), 90127 Palermo, Italy
Andrew Santeusanio, Erin Mathis, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, United States
Monica Notarbartolo, Manuela Labbozzetta, Paola Poma, Natale D’Alessandro, G. D’Alessandro Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Section of Pharmacology P Benigno, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
Ambra Provenzani, National Institute of Social Security (INPS), 90143 Palermo, Italy
Carlo Polidori, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy
Giovanni Vizzini, Department of Medicine, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (ISMETT), 90127 Palermo, Italy
Author contributions: Provenzani A, Santeusanio A and Mathis E wrote the paper and contributed equally to this work; Notarbartolo M, Labbozzetta M, Poma P and Provenzani A reviewed the literature; Polidori C, Vizzini G and Polidori P reviewed the paper; D’Alessandro N provided critical expertise and reviewed the paper.
Correspondence to: Alessio Provenzani, PharmD, PhD, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (ISMETT), via E. Tricomi n. 5, 90127 Palermo, Italy. aprovenzani@ismett.edu
Telephone: +39-340-6046147 Fax: +39-91-2192369
Received: August 19, 2013
Revised: September 30, 2013
Accepted: October 19, 2013
Published online: December 28, 2013
Processing time: 148 Days and 4.3 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: As researchers continue to evaluate the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms on tacrolimus dosing and on the response to the drug, the challenge now becomes to assess the potential clinical implications of this research for medical practice. Sufficient data have been accumulated to be certain that the liver donor and kidney recipient CYP3A5 genotype has an important influence on tacrolimus dosing and on the observed blood trough levels of the drug. However, the question remains, should genotyping become a standard of practice in transplantation?