title: Do variations in the 5-HT3A and 5-HT3B serotonin receptor genes (HTR3A and HTR3B) influence the occurrence of postoperative vomiting?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Postoperative nausea and vomiting are unpleasant side effects of general anesthesia. Besides known risk factors (female gender, nonsmoker, history, and opioids), a genetic influence of the serotonin receptor system on the development of nausea and vomiting has repeatedly been proposed. In this pilot study, we therefore investigated the genes of the serotonin receptor subunits A and B (HTR3A and HTR3B) for genetic variants.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 95 patients who had suffered from postoperative vomiting (POV) after general anesthesia and 94 control patients. After DNA isolation, the entire HTR3A and HTR3B coding regions, the 5' flanking regions, and exon/intron boundaries were screened for genetic variants. Correlation of identified genetic variants with POV was determined by logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 16 different variants in the HTR3A gene and 19 in the HTR3B gene. By using a multivariate logistic regression model that also included classical risk factors, the HTR3A variant c1377A>G was associated with a significantly higher risk (odds ratio [OR] 2.972; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.466-6.021; P = 0.003) and the HTR3B variants c5+201_+202delCA (OR 0.421; 95% CI 0.257-0.69; P = 0.001) and c6-137C>T (OR 0.034; 95% CI 0.003-0.332; P = 0.004) were associated with a lower risk for POV. However, all significant genetic variants were located in noncoding regions of their gene.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic variations in the HTR3A and HTR3B gene seem to be associated with the individual risk of developing POV. How strong their influence is within the multifactorial genesis of POV needs to be investigated in additional studies with an appropriate sample size.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Leipzig, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. henrik.rueffert@medizin.uni-leipzig.d
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rueffert
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thieme
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wallenborn
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lemnitz
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rudlof
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wehner
authors.forename: Derk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Olthoff
authors.forename: Udo X
authors.initials: UX
authors.lastname: Kaisers
mesh_terms: D024506:5' Flanking Region; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010641:Phenotype; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000235:genetics*; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000235:genetics*; D044406:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT3; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C509409:HTR3A protein, human; C509410:HTR3B protein, human; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D044406:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT3