Variation of COMT gene and ethnic differences in pain sensitivity

FRARE, ROMINA ALEJANDRA; ANCASI PÉREZ, INÉS CAROLINA; CUELLAR, SELVA; SCHIAFFI, JORGE; CATANESI, CECILIA INÉS

Chascomús

Jornada; XV Jornadas Anuales Soc. Argentina de Biología 2013; 2013

Sociedad Argentina de Biología

Pain sensitivity is a complex phenotype in which various genetic polymorphisms are involved. Although some genetic markers show ethnic variation, these polymorphisms have not been analyzed yet among the Argentinian population. We present a study on 89 female patients from the Gynecology Service of Bernardino Rivadavia Hospital, who received analgesic therapy after surgery. Self-designation of ethnic ancestry was registered, as well as the analgesic requirements on 4 moments during the first 24 hours after surgery. DNA was obtained from blood to analyze 5 SNPs by PCR-RFLP: rs40603, rs4633, rs6269, rs4818, and rs4680. All 5 SNPs fit Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, with heterozygosity values of 37-64% (ARLEQUIN v.3.5). Pain sensation for the first hour after surgery was significantly different among European admixed and Native Amerindian group, being much lower in the latter (VCCSTAT v1.0 p=0.048). Genotype frequency differences were only significant for rs4680 (p=0.037). These data show the existence of ethnic differences in pain sensitivity within Argentinian population. According to the low genetic differentiation observed, the differences are possibly due to cultural factors affecting this complex phenotype.