Influence of the Functional Polymorphisms in the Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide 1B1 in the Susceptibility to Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is an important cause of death throughout the world, and its etiology involves the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Transporter proteins are important in protecting organs from xenobiotics or toxins. Organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1) plays role in hepatic uptake and clearance of albumin-bound amphipathic organic compounds, including endogen substances, drugs, or xenobiotics. The SLCO1B1 gene expressing OATP1B1 is highly polymorphic. Up to now, SLCO1BI variants were the focus of several investigations on drug pharmacokinetics and cancer susceptibility. However, no information has been available on association between SLCO1B1 and colorectal cancer risk. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the relationship between colorectal cancer and the functional common variants of SLCO1B1 (388 A > G, -11187 G > A, 521 T > C) and to estimate the prevalence of these variants in the Turkish population. To that end, the distributions of the variants were determined in 100 patients with colorectal cancer and 150 healthy volunteers. SLCO1B1 521 T > C was statistically significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk (odds ratio [OR] = 2.66; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31-5.41; p = 0.0057). In haplotype-based analysis, SLCO1B1 haplotype G(388)-T-11187-T-521 might be associated with the development of colorectal cancer (OR = 4.26; 95% CI = 1.62-11.16; p = 0.002). We believe that the findings may be beneficial to the development of efficacious preventive strategies and therapies for colorectal cancer.