PLoS ONE (Jan 2014)

Cannabinoid receptor 2-63 QQ variant is associated with persistently normal aminotransferase serum levels in chronic hepatitis C.

  • Nicola Coppola,
  • Rosa Zampino,
  • Caterina Sagnelli,
  • Giulia Bellini,
  • Aldo Marrone,
  • Maria Stanzione,
  • Nicolina Capoluongo,
  • Adriana Boemio,
  • Carmine Minichini,
  • Luigi Elio Adinolfi,
  • Sabatino Maione,
  • Emanuele Miraglia Del Giudice,
  • Evangelista Sagnelli,
  • Francesca Rossi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099450
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 6
p. e99450

Abstract

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Background and aimTo evaluate in anti-HCV-positive patients the clinical impact of the rs35761398 variant of the CNR2 gene leading to the substitution of Gln (Q) of codon 63 of the cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) with Arg (R).Patients and methods253 consecutive anti-HCV-/HCV-RNA-positive patients were enrolled, of whom 53 were HCV carriers with persistently normal ALT (PNALT group) and 200 had a history of steadily abnormal serum ALT values (abnormal ALT group). All patients were naive for antiviral therapy and were screened for the CNR2 rs35761398 polymorphism by a TaqMan assay.ResultsSubjects in the PNALT group, compared with those in the abnormal ALT group were older (58.5±12 vs. 50.7±12.4 years, p = 0.001), more frequently female (66% vs. 42%, p = 0.003), with lower body mass index (BMI) (24.5±3.1 vs. 26.6±4.6, p = 0.003), and more frequently with HCV genotype 2 (43.1% vs 17.7%, p = 0.0002) and CB2-63 QQ variant (34% vs. 11%, p = 0.0001). Considering all 253 patients, no difference in the demographic, biochemical, or virological data was observed between patients in the different CB2-63 variants. The logistic regression analysis identified CB2-63 QQ, HCV genotype 2, older age and lower BMI as independent predictors of PNALT (pDiscussionThe CB2-63 QQ variant in HCV patients was independently associated with the PNALT status.