Background: Polymorphisms in ABCB1 have the ability to affect both the function and the expression of the transporter protein P-glycoprotein and may lead to an altered response for many drugs including some antidepressants and antipsychotics.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the ABCB1 polymorphisms 1199G>A, 1236C>T, 2677G>T/A, and 3435C>T in deaths by suicide.
Patients and methods: A total of 998 consecutive Swedish forensic autopsies performed in 2008 in individuals 18 years of age or older, where femoral blood was available and a toxicological screening had been performed, were investigated. Genotypes were assessed with pyrosequencing and information on the cause and manner of each death was obtained from the forensic pathology and toxicology databases.
Results: There was a significantly higher frequency of the T allele at positions 1236, 2677, and 3435 among the suicide cases compared with the nonsuicide cases.
Conclusion: Our result from forensic cases suggests that ABCB1 polymorphisms are associated with an increased risk for completed suicides. The biological mechanisms involved and the clinical implications for these findings are largely unknown and need to be examined further.