Association of polymorphism in the NOD2 gene with the mental health of prison staff

Abstract

Changes in mental health could reflect immunomodulation, therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the association of the rs8057341 polymorphism in the NOD2 gene with the mental health of prison staff. To this end, employees of a penitentiary in the interior of São Paulo were studied. The assessment of symptoms suggestive of changes in mental health was carried out using a structured questionnaire for depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21) and the rs8057341 polymorphism in the NOD2 gene using the allelic discrimination technique. The stress assessment demonstrated that the AG genotype of rs8057341 in the NOD2 gene presented a significantly higher score compared to AA individuals (p=0.0424) and that the GG genotype presented a trend, although not significant (p=0.0593), also in relation to AA individuals. We conclude that the G allele may be associated with higher levels of stress in prison staff, suggesting that the AA genotype may be related to protection from this condition, due to less stimulation of the inflammatory process.