Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) tests

Healthcare professional may utilise cytochrome P450 (CYP450) tests to aid determine how body processes (metabolizes) a drug. Deep dive to know more about the Cytochrome P450 test and its limitations with this article.

The human body utilises cytochrome P450 enzymes to process medications. Medicines may impact each person distinctly because of inherited (genetic) traits that cause alterations in these enzymes.

Drug-gene Testing—also referred to as pharmacogenomics/pharmacogenetics —is the study of how genes impact a person's body's response to medication. Tests check for changes in these genes, which assess whether a medication could be an effective treatment or whether a test could have side effects from a specific medication.

The cytochrome P450 enzyme comprises the CYP2D6 enzyme, which processes several antidepressants and antipsychotic medications. By checking a person's DNA for certain gene variations, CYP450 tests can offer clues about how a person's body may respond to a particular antidepressant. CYP450 tests can also identify alterations in other enzymes, like the CYP2C19 enzyme.

Cytochrome P450 tests: Why it's performed

Medications for depression are generally prescribed based on symptoms as well as medical history. For a few people, the first antidepressant tried relieves depression manifestations and has tolerable side effects. For many others, however, finding the relevant medication takes trial and error. For few people, it can take several months or longer to find the right antidepressant.

Genotyping tests, like cytochrome P450 tests, accelerate the identification of drugs that are more likely to be better processed by a person's body. Ideally, better processing would lead to fewer side effects and improved effectiveness. CYP450 tests are typically utilized only when initial antidepressant treatments aren't successful.

How to prepare

The person won't be required to fast or have any special preparations prior to the procedure.

What to expect

For cytochrome P450 tests, a sample of a person's DNA is taken, utilising one of these techniques:

Cheek swab: A cotton swab is stroked inside a person's cheek to obtain a cell sample.

Saliva collection: A person has to spit saliva into a collection tube.

Blood test: For this test, blood is collected from a vein in a person's arm.

After the procedure

Obtaining the DNA sample should take just a few minutes. Then, the person's sample is sent to a lab, where the DNA is analyzed for particular genes.

Results

It usually takes several days to a week to fetch the results of cytochrome P450 tests. Person and his/her doctor can discuss the results and how they might impact his/her treatment options.

CYP450 tests tell how well a person's body processes a drug by looking at particular enzymes. The results can be categorized according to how rapidly a person can metabolize a specific medication. For instance, results of a CYP2D6 test may depict which of these four types applies to him/her:

Poor metabolizers. If a person processes a certain drug more slowly than usual because of a missing enzyme, the medication can build up in his/her system. This buildup can elevate the likelihood that the medication will cause side effects. A person might still benefit from these medications but at lower dosages.

Intermediate metabolizers. If a person has reduced enzyme function in processing drugs, a person may not process some medications as well as people who are categorized as normal metabolizers.

Normal metabolizers (also referred to as extensive metabolizers). If the test shows that person processes certain antidepressants normally, person is more likely to gain advantage from treatment and have lesser side effects than people who don't process those particular drugs as well.

Ultrarapid metabolizers. In this scenario, medications leave a person's body too quickly—often before they have a chance to work properly. The person will likely need higher-than-usual medication doses.

CYP450 Testing isn't helpful for all antidepressants, but it can offer information about how a person is likely to process an array of them. For instance:

The CYP2D6 enzyme participates in metabolizing antidepressants like:

1. Fluoxetine (Prozac), 

2. Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva)

3. Fluvoxamine (Luvox) and venlafaxine (Effexor XR), as well as 

4. Tricyclic antidepressants like nortriptyline (Pamelor), amitriptyline, clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin) and imipramine (Tofranil). 

A few antidepressants, like fluoxetine and paroxetine, can cause the CYP2D6 enzyme to impede down.

The CYP2C19 enzyme participates in metabolizing citalopram (Celexa) as well as escitalopram (Lexapro).

Test Limitations

Although they have efficiency, CYP450 tests have drawbacks:

• Tests are available for only certain medications. Additionally, each test is specific to only one medication, so an alteration in medication may need another test.
• Testing can't guess which medication will work best for a person — it can only offer clues.
• Tests look at only a few of the genes involved in how the body utilizes certain drugs — so attributes out of the scope of the test may impact how an antidepressant will impact a person.
• Tests focus on the way the body metabolizes a drug, not on what the drug does to the body, like how the drug might alter the receptors of the brain to improve manifestations.
• It isn't entirely clear how helpful tests are in selecting an antidepressant. Even if a person undergoes Testing, he/she may still need to try distinct antidepressants and different doses to recognize what works best for him/her.

In a nutshell, Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) test looks at how the body metabolizes drugs. Cytochrome P450 is a system of 50 monooxygenase enzymes that the body utilizes to process drugs, but because genetics cause differences between variations in these enzymes, the effects of drugs on each completely different body.

The CYP450 test is one of the drug-gene tests, also referred to as pharmacogenomics or pharmacogenetics, that learns about how genes impact the body's response to drugs. The tests look for modifications or variations in these genes to assess which drug is right for the patient and what side effects the patient may experience from taking that drug. Despite a few drawbacks, few physicians still utilize CYP450 tests and find them helpful.

Popular Searches :

Hospitals: Cancer Hospital in Delhi | Best Heart Hospital in Delhi |  Hospital in Amritsar | Hospital in Ludhiana | Hospitals in Mohali | Hospital in Faridabad | Hospitals in Gurgaon | Best Hospital in Jaipur | Hospitals in Greater Noida | Hospitals in Noida | Best Kidney Hospital in Kolkata | Best Hospital in Kolkata | Hospitals in Rajajinagar Bangalore | Hospitals in Richmond Road Bangalore | Hospitals in Nagarbhavi Bangalore | Hospital in Kalyan West | Hospitals in Mulund | Best Hospital in India | | Cardiology Hospital in India | Best Cancer Hospital in India | Best Cardiology Hospital in India | Best Oncology Hospital In India | Best Cancer Hospital in Delhi | Best Liver Transplant Hospital in India

Doctors: Dr. Rana Patir | Dr. Rajesh Benny | Dr. Rahul Bhargava | Dr. Jayant Arora | Dr. Anoop Misra | Dr. Manu Tiwari | Dr. Praveer Agarwal | Dr. Arup Ratan Dutta | Dr. Meenakshi Ahuja | Dr. Anoop Jhurani | Dr. Shivaji Basu | Dr. Subhash Jangid | Dr. Atul Mathur | Dr. Gurinder Bedi | Dr. Monika Wadhawan | Dr. Debasis Datta | Dr. Shrinivas Narayan | Dr. Praveen Gupta | Dr. Nitin Jha | Dr. Raghu Nagaraj | Dr. Ashok Seth | Dr. Sandeep Vaishya | Dr. Atul Mishra | Dr. Z S Meharwal | Dr. Ajay Bhalla | Dr. Atul Kumar Mittal | Dr. Arvind Kumar Khurana | Dr. Narayan Hulse | Dr. Samir Parikh | Dr. Amit Javed | Dr. Narayan Banerjee | Dr. Bimlesh Dhar Pandey | Dr. Arghya Chattopadhyay | Dr. G.R. Vijay Kumar | Dr Ashok Gupta | Dr. Gourdas Choudhuri | Dr. Sushrut Singh | Dr. N.C. Krishnamani | Dr. Atampreet Singh | Dr. Vivek Jawali | Dr. Sanjeev Gulati | Dr. Amite Pankaj Aggarwal | Dr. Ajay Kaul | Dr. Sunita Varma | Dr. Manoj Kumar Goel | Dr. R Muralidharan | Dr. Sushmita Roychowdhury | Dr. T.S. MAHANT | Dr. UDIPTA RAY | Dr. Aparna Jaswal | Dr. Ravul Jindal | Dr. Savyasachi Saxena | Dr. Ajay Kumar Kriplani | Dr. Nitesh Rohatgi | Dr. Anupam Jindal 

Specialties: Heart Lung Transplant | Orthopedic | Cardiology Interventional | Obstetrics & Gynaecology | Onco Radiation | Neurosurgery |  Interventional Cardiology | Gastroenterologist in Jaipur | Neuro Physician | Gynecologist in Kolkata | Best Neurologist in India | Liver Transfer | Best Cardiologist in Delhi