Relationship between polymorphisms of eNOS gene and depression

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Objective : We hypothesized that polymorphisms of eNOS gene are associated with pathogenesis of depression. To confirm the hypothesis, we examined the association of the polymorphisms of eNOS gene between patients with MDD. In addition, we also investigated the associations among the polymorphisms of eNOS gene among scores of HAMD and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), ankle brachial index (ABI) and plasma NOx levels in depressed patients.Materials and Methods : This study included 103 in- or outpatients in our university hospital who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for MDD (M/F:41/62, age:44±13 years) and 104 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (M/F:37/66, age:39±16 years). Based on three polymorphism of eNOS gene (SNP; rs2070744, rs1799983, VNTR in intron 4), we conducted a genetic association analysis of case- control samples in patients with MDD or healthy controls in Japanese population. The plasma NOx levels were analyzed by the Griess method, using ENO-20. We used TaqMan assay for two SNPs, and the VNTR polymorphisms in intron 4 were determined by PCR-RFLP.Results : We did not find genotype distributions between patients with MDD and healthy volunteers. No associations were observed between any polymorphisms of eNOS gene and HAMD, BDI, or ABI in patients with MDD. Conclusions : These results suggest that the three polymorphisms of eNOS gene might play little roles for the pathogenesis of depression.