Association study of Val66Met polymorphism in brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene with clozapine-induced metabolic syndrome: preliminary results

PLoS One. 2013 Aug 13;8(8):e72652. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072652. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) is higher among patients receiving atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) treatment, and even among AAPs, treatment with clozapine has been shown to be associated with a higher long-term incidence rate of MetS. Likewise, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) deficiency has been reported to result in metabolic traits, such as increased food intake, hyperphagia and obesity, etc. In this study, we hypothesized that a functional polymorphism (Val66Met) in the BDNF gene may confer susceptibility to clozapine-induced MetS, potentially in a sex-specific manner, since an interaction between Val66Met polymorphism and sex was observed in our previous studies. A total of 199 schizophrenia patients being treated with clozapine were divided into two groups, MetS and non-MetS, based on the diagnostic criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III. We genotyped the Val66Met polymorphism, and measured the serum levels of fasting glucose (GLU), triglyceride (TG) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). There was a trend indicating a significant association between the homozygous Met/Met genotype and MetS in male patients (OR = 2.39; 95% CI: 1.05-5.41; p = 0.039; corrected p = 0.078). Among the six risk factors listed in the ATPIII criteria, we found a significant association between fasting GLU levels and Val66Met polymorphism in males (p = 0.005; corrected p = 0.03), but not in females (p = 0.65). Post-hoc analysis in males revealed that the Met/Met carriers had significant higher levels of fasting GLU than those with Val/Val or Val/Met genotypes (p = 0.007; corrected p = 0.042 and p = 0.002; corrected p = 0.012, respectively). In conclusion, we observed a weak association between the Val66Met polymorphism and clozapine-induced MetS in a sex-specific manner. While preliminary, such findings prompt further, large-scale longitudinal studies to replicate these findings.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Amino Acid Substitution*
  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / genetics*
  • Clozapine / adverse effects
  • Codon*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Genetic Association Studies
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Metabolic Syndrome / chemically induced
  • Metabolic Syndrome / genetics*
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*
  • Serotonin Antagonists / adverse effects

Substances

  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
  • Codon
  • Serotonin Antagonists
  • Clozapine

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81000581), the Shanghai Science & Technology Development Foundation (12140904200), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2013M530410) and the National Key Clinical Disciplines at Shanghai Mental Health Center (OMA-MH, 2011-873). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.