title: No alcoholism-protection effects of ADH1B*2 allele in antisocial alcoholics among Han Chinese in Taiwan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  suggested that the genetic variation at ADH1B and ALDH2 influences the risk of alcoholism. The ADH1B*2 and ALDH2*2 alleles had been thought to be protective against alcoholism. Recent studies have suggested that either physiological tolerance of blood acetaldehyde, or innate insensitivity to it, or both may play a crucial role in keeping alcoholism from developing by protecting against adverse reactions. ALDH inactive form resulting from ALDH2*2, which slows the elimination of acetaldehyde and the more active isozymes produced by ADH1B*2, could generate higher acetaldehyde levels and thus deter heavy drinking (). The genotype frequency of ADH1B*2/*2 and ALDH2*(1/*2 or 2/*2), which are regarded protective against drinking behavior, is about 70% and 50%, respectively, among the Han Chinese population in Taiwan (Chen et al., 1999a). Most previous studies, however, have failed to separate the effects of antisocial personality disorder from those of alcoholism because of their high comorbidity. To understand the relationship among alcoholism, antisocial personality disorder, and the protective effects of ADH and ALDH, it is necessary to recruit individuals with antisocial personality disorder but without alcoholism. This study was designed to stratify subjects by various ADH1B and ALDH2 genotypes for a more effective association study. The strata were: antisocial alcoholics, antisocial non-alcoholics, community alcoholics, and normal controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 579 Han Chinese individuals in Taiwan, intending to examine the alcoholism-protection effects of different ADH1B and ALDH2 genotypes with or without antisocial personality disorder.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found no difference of ADH1B*2 allele frequency between the subjects of antisocial alcoholism and subjects of antisocial non-alcoholism, but we found significant difference of ALDH2*2 allele between these two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that there is no alcoholism-protection effect of ADH1B*2 allele in antisocial alcoholics among Han Chinese in Taiwan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Ru-Band
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Huei-Chen
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Jia-Fu
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wei-Wen
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: San-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Tso-Jen
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi-Syuan
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Tsun-En
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yuan-Hwa
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics; D000483:Alleles; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011329:Prisoners; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; C489332:ADH1B protein, human; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase