(Reuters) -The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 was little changed on Tuesday, as gains in pharma giant AstraZeneca were offset by declines in the automobile and parts sector, while investors indulged in some profit-taking ahead of a crucial domestic inflation reading.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 lost 0.1%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 was off 0.4%.

The automobile and parts sector declined 4.0%, the biggest sectoral fall, pulled down by a 6.1% loss in Dowlas Group, after the GKN automotive owner warned of lower revenue in the year.

Nearly half of the sectors closed lower while the pharma and biotech sector offset some losses with a 1.1% gain, pulled up by AstraZeneca, which advanced 2.2% after the drugmaker said it aimed to grow its revenue by 75% to $80 billion by 2030.

"The FTSE has run very far, very fast and there's a bit of profit-taking. Defensive sectors are winning out and I think AstraZeneca is the strength on the index today," said Patrick Armstrong, chief investment officer at Plurimi Wealth.

Meanwhile, two Federal Reserve policymakers said it was prudent for the U.S. central bank to wait several more months to ensure that inflation was slowing before commencing interest rate cuts.

"Inflation is actually starting to reaccelerate a little bit on some measures. The Fed can't be promising cuts because the employment backdrop is far too strong and they've not dealt with inflation yet," Armstrong added.

Consumer prices index (CPI) data, due on Wednesday, also added to the caution, as investors waited to see if it would support the Bank of England's dovish tone on the timing of interest rate cuts in the year.

Also on the radar will be chipmaker Nvidia's quarterly results, which are expected to influence the broader markets given the euphoria around artificial intelligence.

In other corporate news, SSP Group was the top loser on the mid-cap index with a 9.0% dip after the Upper Crust owner reported half-year EBITDA that missed estimates.

(Reporting by Pranav Kashyap in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H K and Eileen Soreng)

By Pranav Kashyap and Purvi Agarwal