Association of Polymorphisms in Pharmacogenetic Candidate Genes (OPRD1, GAL, ABCB1, OPRM1) with Opioid Dependence in European Population A Case-Control Study.docVIP

Association of Polymorphisms in Pharmacogenetic Candidate Genes (OPRD1, GAL, ABCB1, OPRM1) with Opioid Dependence in European Population: A Case- Control Study Beate Beer , Robert Erb , Marion Pavlic , Hanno Ulmer , Salvatore Giacomuzzi , Yvonne Riemer , Herbert 1 1 1 2 3 3 Oberacher 1* 1 Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria, 2 Department of Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Health Economics, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria, 3 Department of General Psychiatry, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria Abstract It is becoming increasingly evident that genetic variants contribute to the development of opioid addiction. An elucidation of these genetic factors is crucial for a better understanding of this chronic disease and may help to develop novel therapeutic strategies. In recent years, several candidate genes were implicated in opioid dependence. However, most study findings have not been replicated and additional studies are required before reported associations can be considered robust. Thus, the major objective of this study was to replicate earlier findings and to identify new genetic polymorphisms contributing to the individual susceptibility to opioid addiction, respectively. Therefore, a candidate gene association study was conducted including 142 well-phenotyped long-term opioid addicts undergoing opioid maintenance therapy and 142 well-matched healthy controls. In both study groups, 24 single nucleotide polymorphisms predominantly located in pharmacogenetic candidate genes have been genotyped using an accurate mass spectrometry based method. The most significant associations wit