N-Acetyltransferase-2 (NAT2) genotype frequency among Jordanian volunteers

Objective: To determine the frequency of major NAT2 alleles and genotypes among the Jordanian population. Methods: DNA samples from 150 healthy Jordanian volunteers were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism assays (PCRRFLP) to determine the frequency of four major alleles: NAT2*4, NAT2*5, NAT2*6 and NAT2*7. Results: The frequency (95% confidence interval) of NAT2*4, NAT2*5, NAT2*6 and NAT2*7 alleles was 0.247 (0.198 - 0.296), 0.373 (0.318 - 0.428), 0.347. 0.293 - 0.401) and 0.033 (0.013 - 0.053), respectively. The most prevalent genotypes are those which encode slow acetylation phenotype. Around 58.7%, 33.3% and 8%of volunteers carried the slow, the intermediate and the fast-encoding genotypes, respectively. Conclusion: NAT2 genotype profile among Jordanians is similar to Caucasians. However, NAT2*6 allele is slightly high in comparison with Arab Middle Eastern populations.