Objective: Gender comparison in epidemiological studies has consistently demonstrated a greater prevalence for major depressive disorders (MDD) in females. Several lines of evidence have implicated oestrogen pathways in this gender difference. Furthermore, there is evidence that attempted suicides are more frequent in women. A population-based association study was used to test the hypothesis that the genetic variants ( II and I polymorphisms) of the oestrogen receptor alpha gene (ER-alpha) confer susceptibility to MDD.
Methods: The ER-alpha was genotyped for 154 patients with MDD and 226 controls in a Chinese population.
Results: Statistical analysis showed a significant difference in the II genotype and allele frequencies between the female MDD patients and the female controls ( P=0.010 and P=0.004, respectively). However, no significant differences in ER-alpha genotype or allele frequencies were found between male MDD patients and male controls. Furthermore, the ER-alpha genotypes were not associated with suicide-attempt history for MDD cases.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that the ER-alpha may play a role in the susceptibility of MDD in females.