NAT2 variants are associated with drug-induced liver injury caused by anti-tuberculosis drugs in Indonesian patients with tuberculosis

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is the most common adverse drug reaction in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Several studies showed that patients with TB and the slow-acetylator phenotype caused by NAT2 variants are highly susceptible to DILI caused by anti-TB drugs, hereafter designated AT-DILI. However, the role of NAT2 variants in AT-DILI has never been assessed for an Indonesian population. We recruited 50 patients with TB and AT-DILI and 191 patients with TB but without AT-DILI; we then used direct DNA sequencing to assess single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding region of NAT2. NAT2*6A was significantly associated with susceptibility to AT-DILI (P=7.7 x 10(-4), odds ratio (OR)=4.75 (1.8-12.55)). Moreover, patients with TB and the NAT2-associated slow-acetylator phenotype showed higher risk of AT-DILI than patients with the rapid-or intermediate-acetylator phenotypes (P=1.7 x 10(-4), OR=3.45 (1.79-6.67)). In conclusion, this study confirms the significance of the association between slow-acetylator NAT2 variants and susceptibility to AT-DILI in an Indonesian population.