Association between rs1799971 in the mu opioid receptor gene and methadone maintenance treatment response

OBJECTIVE: Genetic variations can affect individual response to methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for heroin addiction. The A118G variant (rs1799971) in the mu opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) is a potential candidate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) for personalized MMT. This study determined whether rs1799971 is related to MMT response or dose. METHODS: We recruited 286 MMT patients from a Han Chinese population. The rs1799971 genotype was determined via TaqMan genotyping assay. The genetic effect of this SNP on MMT response or dose was evaluated using logistic regression. A meta‐analysis was performed to merge all available data to evaluate the role of rs1799971 in MMT using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: No statistical significance was observed in the association between the OPRM1 rs1799971 and MMT response or dose in our Chinese cohort. Meta‐analysis indicated that the OPRM1 A118G variation was not significantly associated with MMT response or dose requirement. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that rs1799971 in OPRM1 might not play a critical role alone in influencing MMT response or dose.