Sulfotransferase 2A1 (EC 2.8.2.2) (ST2A1) (Bile salt sulfotransferase) (EC 2.8.2.14) (Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfotransferase) (DHEA-ST) (DHEA-ST8) (Hydroxysteroid Sulfotransferase) (HST) (ST2) (SULT2A3) [HST] [STD]
Individual variations in xenobiotic metabolism affect the sensitivity to diseases. In this study, the impacts of sex, age and race/ethnicity on drug-processing genes and NRF2 genes in human livers were examined via QuantiGene multiplex suspension array (226 samples) and qPCR (247 samples) to profile the expression of nuclear receptors, cytochrome P450s, conjugation enzymes, transporters, bile acid metabolism and NRF2-regulated genes. Sex differences were found in expression of about half of the genes, but in general the differences were not large. For example, females had higher transcript levels of [i]CAT, GCLC, HO-1, KEAP1, SOD1[/i], and [i]TXNRD1[/i] compared to males via qPCR. There were no apparent differences due to age except children had higher [i]GCLM[/i] and elderly had higher [i]MRP3[/i] African Americans had lower expression of [i]FXR[/i] but higher expression of [i]HO-1[/i], Caucasians had higher expression of [i]OAT2[/i], and Hispanics had higher expression of [i]FXR, SULT2A1, SHP[/i], and [i]BSEP[/i] An examination of 34 diseased and control human liver samples showed that compared to disease-free livers, fibrotic livers had higher [i]NQO1, GCLC, GCLM[/i] and [i]NRF2[/i]; hepatocellular carcinoma had higher transcript levels of [i]NQO1[/i] and [i]KEAP1[/i], and steatotic livers had lower [i]GCLC[/i], [i]GCLM[/i] and [i]HO-1[/i] expression. In summary, in drug-processing gene and NRF2 genes, sex differences were the major findings, and there were no apparent age-differences and race/ethnicity differences occurred for a few genes. These descriptive findings could add to our understanding of the sex-, age-, and race/ethnicity -dependent differences in drug-processing genes, as well as NRF2 genes in normal and diseased human livers. In human liver drug-processing and NRF2 genes, sex differences were the main finding. There were no apparent differences due to age, except children had higher [i]GCLM[/i] and elderly had higher [i]MRP3[/i] African Americans had lower expression of [i]FXR[/i] but higher expression of [i]HO-1[/i], Caucasians had higher expression of [i]OAT2[/i], and Hispanics had higher expression of [i]FXR, SHP, SULT2A1[/i] and [i]BSEP[/i].
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