Open Access

Hypermethylation of the κ1 opioid receptor promoter in Chinese heroin and methamphetamine addicts

  • Authors:
    • Huihui Ji
    • Guili Liu
    • Xuting Xu
    • Huifen Liu
    • Lei Xu
    • Haochang Hu
    • Yingmin Chen
    • Qinxiao Hong
    • Qinwen Wang
    • Wenwen Shen
    • Longhui Li
    • Xiaohu Xie
    • Wenhua Zhou
    • Shiwei Duan
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: July 24, 2018     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2018.6514
  • Pages: 2392-2398
  • Copyright: © Ji et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Heroin and methamphetamine (METH) addiction continues to be a major social, economic and therapeutic problem worldwide. The opioid pathway may mediate the effects of addictive drugs. However, the potential correlation between the κ1 opioid receptor (OPRK1) and drug addiction has not yet been characterized. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential association between methylation of the OPRK1 promoter and substance abuse. Bisulfite pyrosequencing technology was used to determine the levels of OPRK1 promoter methylation in 60 drug abusers (30 heroin and 30 METH addicts) and 52 controls, observed to exhibit no significant differences in age or gender. The results indicated that levels of OPRK1 promoter methylation were significantly higher in drug addicts when compared with controls (P=2.43x10‑4). Significant correlations between OPRK1 promoter methylation and the length and frequency of drug use were also observed in male heroin addicts (length: r=0.661, P=0.007; frequency: r=‑0.684, P=0.005). In addition, a luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that the OPRK1 promoter fragment was able to regulate gene expression (fold change between two groups >32.12, P≤0.0001). In conclusion, results of the present study indicate that methylation of the OPRK1 promoter contributes to the pathophysiology of drug addiction.
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September-2018
Volume 16 Issue 3

Print ISSN: 1792-0981
Online ISSN:1792-1015

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Spandidos Publications style
Ji H, Liu G, Xu X, Liu H, Xu L, Hu H, Chen Y, Hong Q, Wang Q, Shen W, Shen W, et al: Hypermethylation of the κ1 opioid receptor promoter in Chinese heroin and methamphetamine addicts. Exp Ther Med 16: 2392-2398, 2018
APA
Ji, H., Liu, G., Xu, X., Liu, H., Xu, L., Hu, H. ... Duan, S. (2018). Hypermethylation of the κ1 opioid receptor promoter in Chinese heroin and methamphetamine addicts. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 16, 2392-2398. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2018.6514
MLA
Ji, H., Liu, G., Xu, X., Liu, H., Xu, L., Hu, H., Chen, Y., Hong, Q., Wang, Q., Shen, W., Li, L., Xie, X., Zhou, W., Duan, S."Hypermethylation of the κ1 opioid receptor promoter in Chinese heroin and methamphetamine addicts". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 16.3 (2018): 2392-2398.
Chicago
Ji, H., Liu, G., Xu, X., Liu, H., Xu, L., Hu, H., Chen, Y., Hong, Q., Wang, Q., Shen, W., Li, L., Xie, X., Zhou, W., Duan, S."Hypermethylation of the κ1 opioid receptor promoter in Chinese heroin and methamphetamine addicts". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 16, no. 3 (2018): 2392-2398. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2018.6514