Abstract

Effects of the Nicotine Acetylcholine Receptors A3 Rs6495309 and B3 Rs6474412 Polymorphisms on Smoking Behavior in Young Men

Author(s): Wei-Chih Ou, Chih-Ling Huang, Chih-Chieh Chou, Yi-Chun Chen, Shian-Ru Liu, Pei-Lain Chen, Ching-Shan Huang

Objective

Although some effects of genetic polymorphisms related to nicotine-dopamine metabolism on smoking status have been identified, no variants of the nicotine acetylcholine receptor (CHRN) gene associated with smoking have been reported for the Taiwanese population. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the CHRNA3 rs6495309 and CHRNB3 rs6474412 polymorphisms on smoking behavior in young Taiwanese men.

Methods

Five hundred young Taiwanese men aged 20-25 years completed a self-report questionnaire, including the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), the Physiological Cigarette Dependence Scale (PCDS) and the Cigarette Withdrawal Scale (CWS-21), and data on the CHRNA3 rs6495309 and CHRNB3 rs6474412 polymorphisms were collected. We evaluated the effect of different genotypes on smoking status, smoking intensity, FTND, PCDS and CWS-21 in the study cohort comprised of young men.

Results

In a comparison of 243 never smokers and 230 current smokers, the odds ratios for the development of both smoking and heavier smoking were not statistically significant in all genotypes. The FTND score was significantly different between subjects carrying CHRNB3 rs6474412 CC and those possessing CHRNB3 rs6474412 TT [mean (SD): 6.20 (2.17) versus 3.57 (2.17), P=0.022], while the CWS-21 score of subjects with CHRNB3 rs6474412 TC was significantly different from that for CHRNB3 rs6474412 TT [57.01 (14.95) versus 49.70 (18.26), P=0.030]. The trend of an increased percentage of FTND scores âÂÂÃ�?�?Â�?�?§ 6 among the CHRNB3 rs6474412 TT subgroup, TC subgroup and CC subgroup was statistically significant (P<0.05).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that FTND and CWS-21 scores are significantly different between the CHRNB3-rs6474412-variant group and the wild-type group. The CHRNB3 rs6474412 variant is a useful indicator for evaluating smoking behavior in young Taiwanese men.