Effects of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Beta Gene Polymorphisms on the Plasma Concentration of Aripiprazole in Chinese Patients with Schizophrenia: A Preliminary Study.

This study explored the differences in glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3ß) gene polymorphisms between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls and investigated the association between gene polymorphisms and plasma concentration of aripiprazole. We enrolled 127 patients with schizophrenia and 125 healthy controls from southern Fujian. The genotypes of the rs6438552, rs12630592, and rs3732361 loci of GSK3ß were evaluated by sequencing with amplified polymerase chain reaction, and the plasma concentration of aripiprazole was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. All three loci of GSK3ß had three genotypes each. The genotype distribution in each locus was not significantly different, but there was a significant difference in the allele frequency between the schizophrenia and control groups within each locus. Linkage disequilibrium analyses of the three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) revealed strong linkage. The haplotype analysis results showed two haplotypes in the three SNPs of GSK3ß. The plasma concentrations, dose-corrected concentrations, and normalized concentrations of aripiprazole were significantly different among the different genotypes of the three SNPs. In conclusion, the rs6438552, rs12630592, and rs3732361 loci of GSK3ß may be involved in schizophrenia, and GSK3ß gene polymorphism may be correlated with the plasma concentration of aripiprazole.

Association between UGT2B7 gene polymorphisms and fentanyl sensitivity in patients undergoing painful orthognathic surgery.

Background Fentanyl is often used instead of morphine for the treatment of pain because it has fewer side effects. The metabolism of morphine by glucuronidation is known to be influenced by polymorphisms of the UGT2B7 gene. Some metabolic products of fentanyl are reportedly metabolized by glucuronate conjugation. The genes that are involved in the metabolic pathway of fentanyl may also influence fentanyl sensitivity. We analyzed associations between fentanyl sensitivity and polymorphisms of the UGT2B7 gene to clarify the hereditary determinants of individual differences in fentanyl sensitivity. Results This study examined whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the UGT2B7 gene affect cold pain sensitivity and the analgesic effects of fentanyl, evaluated by a standardized pain test and fentanyl requirements in healthy Japanese subjects who underwent uniform surgical procedures. The rs7439366 SNP of UGT2B7 is reportedly associated with the metabolism and analgesic effects of morphine. We found that this SNP is also associated with the analgesic effects of fentanyl in the cold pressor-induced pain test. It suggested that the C allele of the rs7439366 SNP may enhance analgesic efficacy. Two SNPs of UGT2B7, rs4587017 and rs1002849, were also found to be novel SNPs that may influence the analgesic effects of fentanyl in the cold pressor-induced pain test. Conclusions Fentanyl sensitivity for cold pressor-induced pain was associated with the rs7439366, rs4587017, and rs1002849 SNPs of the UGT2B7 gene. Our findings may provide valuable information for achieving satisfactory pain control and open to new avenues for personalized pain treatment.

Polymorphisms in lipid metabolism related miRNA binding sites and risk of metabolic syndrome.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate posttranscriptional gene expression usually by binding to 3'-untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of target message RNAs (mRNAs). Previous studies have demonstrated that SNPs within miRNA target sites could modulate miRNA-mRNA interaction to affect the regulation of target genes and the individual's diseases. So far, little is known about the relationship of miRNA binding site polymorphisms with the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the general population. Therefore, we conducted a case-control study in Chinese Han population to evaluate the association between SNPs within miRNA binding sites and risk of MetS. 8 SNPs in miRNA binding sites with a minor allele frequency (MAF) of ≥ 0.05 in the Chinese Han population were selected by bioinformatics software. TaqMan ®assay was performed to test the genotypes in MetS patients (n=1026) and normal controls (n=1032). We found rs5750146 (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.24 for GA/AA, P=0.023, compared with GG), rs5999924 (adjusted OR=1.22 for AT/TT, P=0.038, compared with AA) in the APOL6 3'UTR were identified to correlate with MetS in the total sample and females. Rs11724758 (adjusted OR=0.65 for AA, P=0.002, compared with GG) in the FABP2 3'UTR was found to correlate with MetS in the total sample and males. Correlations between FABP2 rs11724758 polymorphisms and components of MetS reveal that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) levels are significantly higher in FABP2 rs11724758 AA genotype carrier compared with noncarriers, whereas triglycerides (TG) and fasting plasma glucose (FG) were to be significantly lower in the AA genotype carrier. These findings indicate that these three polymorphisms which located at the predicted miRNAs binding sites were identified to contribute to susceptibility to MetS in the Chinese Han population.