Unit of Oral and Systemic Diseases, Department of Prosthodontics, Gerodontology and Dental Materials, Center of Oral Health, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Eur J Pain. 2012 Jul;16(6):878-89. doi: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2011.00067.x. Epub 2011 Dec 19.
Variations within the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene have been associated with pain severity in temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). Psychological factors such as personal conflicts, life stress and depression, are well known to be associated with onset, severity and chronicity of pain disorders.
We hypothesized that the relationship between the COMT gene and TMD pain is modified by depressive symptoms.
Cross-sectional data from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) in Germany were used to estimate additive interactions between depressive symptoms and 22 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the COMT gene and the neighbouring thioredoxin reductase 2 (TXNRD2) gene on TMD pain. All participants were Caucasian subjects from a rural area in Northeast Germany. After exclusion of 79 subjects with antidepressant medication, 29.9% of the remaining 3904 subjects reported lifetime depressive symptoms. TMD pain was assessed by a standardized clinical examination. Among various TMD signs, only those that assessed muscle or joint pain on palpation were used as recommended.
Six SNPs from the first of three COMT/TXNRD2 haploblocks interacted with depressive symptoms on TMD pain (smallest p-value: 2.7 × 10(-10) ). In subjects without depressive symptoms, rs5993882 was identified as the SNP most likely to be related to TMD pain. In subjects with symptoms of depression, rs1544325 was the corresponding top COMT SNP.
Our results indicate that variants within the COMT gene are associated with pain perception. However, this association is highly moderated by the absence or presence of lifetime depressive symptoms.
儿茶酚-O-甲基转移酶（COMT）基因内的变异与颞下颌关节紊乱症（TMD）的疼痛严重程度有关。众所周知，心理因素，如个人冲突、生活压力和抑郁，与疼痛障碍的发生、严重程度和慢性有关。
我们假设 COMT 基因与 TMD 疼痛之间的关系受到抑郁症状的影响。
使用德国基于人群的波美拉尼亚健康研究（SHIP）的横断面数据，来估计抑郁症状与 COMT 基因和相邻硫氧还蛋白还原酶 2（TXNRD2）基因的 22 个单核苷酸多态性（SNP）之间对 TMD 疼痛的相加交互作用。所有参与者均为德国东北部农村地区的白种人。在排除 79 名服用抗抑郁药的受试者后，剩余的 3904 名受试者中有 29.9%报告有终生抑郁症状。TMD 疼痛通过标准化临床检查进行评估。在各种 TMD 征象中，仅使用那些在触诊时评估肌肉或关节疼痛的征象，正如推荐的那样。
三个 COMT/TXNRD2 单倍体块中的前六个 SNP 与 TMD 疼痛的抑郁症状相互作用（最小 p 值：2.7×10(-10)）。在没有抑郁症状的受试者中，rs5993882 被确定为最有可能与 TMD 疼痛相关的 SNP。在有抑郁症状的受试者中，rs1544325 是相应的 COMT 主要 SNP。
我们的结果表明，COMT 基因内的变异与疼痛感知有关。然而，这种关联受到终生抑郁症状的有无的高度调节。
