engleski

Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) and -1021 C/T polymorphism of DBH gene in posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is complex and polygenic disorder. The etiology of PTSP is unclear. It could be related to the changes in catecholaminergic system, including altered activity of dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), an enzyme that metabolizes dopamine (DA) to noradrenalin (NA). The aim of the present study was to determine the association between plasma DßH activity and -1021C/T polymorphism of DBH gene in war veterans with or without PTSD. Plasma DBH activity and DBH-1021C/T polymorphisms were determined in 133 combat veterans with current and chronic PTSD (subdivided further into two subgroups according to the presence or absence of psychotic features) and in 34 veterans without chronic PTSD. PTSD diagnosis was done using the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) for DSM-IV Plasma DBH activity was determined by a photometric method and genotyping by standrad RFLP technique. A significantly lower plasma DBH activity was found in veterans with PTSD, regardless of the presence of psychotic features, as compared to enzyme activity in war veterans without PTSD. Similar frequencies in genotype or allele distribution were found between veterans with or without PTSD. War veterans with PTSD carrying the CC genotype had significantly lower plasma DBH activity than veterans without PTSD carrying the corresponding genotype. The results suggest that genotype-controlled measurement of plasma DBH activity might be used as a potential biological marker of the response to trauma and that the further studies of DBH and other loci related to DA and NA in PTSD are warranted.

Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity; -1021C/T polymorphism; DBH gene; posttraumatic stress disorder

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