The association between serotonin-related gene polymorphisms and susceptibility and early sertraline response in patients with panic disorder

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have shown that genetic factor plays an important role in etiology of panic disorder (PD). The aim of the present study was to examine the association of serotonin-related gene polymorphisms with PD risk. Then, we analyzed the correlation between these gene polymorphisms and response to sertraline drug. METHODS: Two hundred thirty-three patients with PD and 231 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) were administered to all subjects, and all patients in the study were also assessed after 4 weeks of treatment. The SLC6A4(rs140701, rs3813034, 5-HTTLPR and STin2), 5-HTR1A rs6295, 5-HTR2A rs6313 and COMT rs4680 gene polymorphisms were genotyped and assessed for the potential association. RESULTS: The allelic model showed that the SLC6A4 rs140701 polymorphism variant was significantly associated with increased risk of PD (OR = 0.624, 95% CI 0.450–0.864, p < 0.05), and a significant result was found in the dominant model (OR = 0.546; 95% CI, 0.371–0.804, p < 0.05). There was a significant difference in allele and genotype frequency between responders and nonresponders in the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism (OR = 0.205, 95% CI 0.128–0.328; OR = 0.249, 95% CI 0.155–0.401, both p < 0.001), indicating the PD patients with S-allele had a poorer response to sertraline than L-allele carriers. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that the SLC6A4 rs140701 polymorphism variant may be associated with susceptibility to PD, and 5-HTTLPR polymorphism may be a predictor of response to sertraline in the treatment of PD.