Variants of opioid system genes are associated with non dependent opioid use and heroin dependence.
BACKGROUND Heroin addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease. Genetic factors are involved in the development of drug addiction. The aim of this study was to determine whether specific variants in genes of the opioid system are associated with non dependent opioid use and heroin dependence. METHODS Genetic information from four subject groups was collected: non dependent opioid users (NOD) [n=163] opioid dependent (OD) patients in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) [n=143] opioid dependent MMT resistant patients in heroin assisted treatment (HAT) [n=138] and healthy controls with no history of opioid use (HC) [n=153] Eighty two variants in eight opioid system genes were studied. To establish the role of these genes in (a) non dependent opioid use, and (b) heroin dependence, the following groups were compared: HC vs. NOD; HC vs. OD (MMT+HAT) and NOD vs. OD (MMT+HAT) RESULTS Five unique SNPs in four genes showed nominally significant associations with non dependent opioid use and heroin dependence. The association of the delta opioid receptor (OPRD1) intronic SNP rs2236861 with non dependent opioid use (HC vs. NOD) remained significant after correction for multiple testing (OR=0.032; pcorrected=0.015) This SNP exhibited a significant gene gene interaction with prepronociceptin (PNOC) SNP rs2722897 (OR=5.24; pcorrected=0.041) (HC vs. NOD) CONCLUSIONS This study identifies several new and some previously reported associations of variants with heroin dependence and with non dependent opioid use, an important and difficult to obtain group not extensively studied previously. Further studies are warranted to confirm and elucidate the potential roles of these variants in the vulnerability to illicit drug use and drug addiction.
Drug and alcohol dependence