Association between serum catecholamine levels and VNTR polymorphism in the promoter region of the monoamine oxidase A gene in forensic autopsy cases

• Published in: Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Japan), 2024-09, Vol.70, p.102469, Article 102469
• Main Authors: Matsusue, Aya, Takayama, Mio, Tani, Naoto, Waters, Brian, Kashiwagi, Masayuki, Kubo, Shin-ichi, Ishikawa, Takaki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autopsy case; Catecholamine; Monoamine oxidase A; Serum; Variable number tandem repeat
• ISSN: 1344-6223; 1873-4162; 1873-4162
• DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102469

•Catecholamine levels were measured in serum from autopsy cases.•The MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism was associated with serum adrenaline levels in females.•The MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism was associated with serum dopamine levels in females.•The MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism was not associated with serum noradrenaline levels in females.•The MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism was not associated with serum catecholamine levels in males. Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) catalyzes oxidative deamination of catecholamines. A functional variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the promoter region of the MAOA gene has been previously reported. In the present study, we measured serum adrenaline (Adr), noradrenaline (Nad), and dopamine (DA) levels in 90 male and 34 female Japanese autopsy cases in which amphetamines or psychotropic drugs were not detected.We examined the frequencies of MAOA-uVNTR alleles in these cases and investigated the effects of the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism on serum Adr, Nad, and DA levels. Evaluation indicated no significant association between MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism and serum Adr, Nad, or DA levels in males, although a significant association between MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism and serum Adr and DA levels were observed in females. Females with the 3/3 genotype had higher serum Adr and DA levels than those with a 4-repeat allele (3/4 and 4/4 genotypes) (p = 0.048 and 0.020, respectively). There was no significant association between MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism and serum Nad levels in females. The present study indicates that MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism influences serum Adr and DA levels only in females.