Abstract
BackgroundAccording to the humor theory of Traditional Uighur Medicine (TUM), a same disease is classified into different abnormal humor types and corresponding methods are applied to treat the diseases according to the type of abnormal humor characteristics. To date the biological foundation of classification of diseases by humor theory has been little studied and the mechanism of action is still unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between some related gene polymorphisms and depression with abnormal humor in TUM.Methods201 cases of depression patients in a Uighur population were divided into two groups as: 107 cases of depression patients with abnormal black bile (ABB), 94 cases of depression patients with none abnormal black bile (nABB), and 50 healthy people were served as control group. Venous blood was used to isolate DNA samples, and the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique was used for genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Polymorphisms in the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor gene, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor gene were investigated in each groups, respectively.ResultsThe 5-HT2A A-1438G, 5-HT2A T102C, BDNF Val66Met, and 5-HT1A C-1019G gene polymorphisms showed significant association with ABB. However, no difference between nABB and controls was found for those genotype distribution and allele frequency. Moreover, the T102C and A1438G SNPs in the 5-HT2A receptor gene polymorphisms were in linkage disequilibrium. In addition, the OR associated with the combination of Val66Met-Val/Val genotype plus the presence of -1019C allele was 8.393 for ABB compared with controls (OR 8.393; 95% CI 1.807 ~ 38.991; P= 0.003). Moreover, the OR associated with the presence of -Met plus -1019C alleles was 12.194 for ABB compared with controls (OR 12.194; 95% CI 1.433 ~ 103.776; P= 0.005). The OR associated with the presence of -1438C/C plus Val/Val genotypes was 7.738 for ABB compared with controls (OR 7.738; 95% CI 1.566 ~ 38.241; P= 0.005).ConclusionIt was concluded that there were significant relationship between the gene polymorphisms and classification of depression with abnormal humor in TUM. The 5-HT2A A-1438G, 5-HT2A T102C, BDNF Val66Met, and 5-HT1A C-1019G gene polymorphisms might predict the incidence of depression with ABB.
Highlights
According to the humor theory of Traditional Uighur Medicine (TUM), a same disease is classified into different abnormal humor types and corresponding methods are applied to treat the diseases according to the type of abnormal humor characteristics
The odds ratios (ORs) associated with the presence of -1438C/C plus Val/Val genotypes was 7.738 for abnormal black bile (ABB) compared with controls (Table 3)
We reported a significant association between combined polymorphisms of Serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) polymorphisms and our result was in line with earlier reports [50]
Summary
According to the humor theory of Traditional Uighur Medicine (TUM), a same disease is classified into different abnormal humor types and corresponding methods are applied to treat the diseases according to the type of abnormal humor characteristics. A.D.), it became the most commonly held view of the human body among European physicians until the discoveries of the functions of the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems in 18th century This theory holds that human body was filled with four basic substances or humors- blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. Traditional Uighur Medicine (TUM) considers the unbalanced humors or abnormal changes of humors are thought to cause disorders or diseases, and most clinical works identified the cause of complex diseases such as cancer, depression as an excess of black bile [10,11,12]., and some researches even indicate patients with “abnormal black bile” were significantly different from those with “non-abnormal black bile” (abnormal blood, yellow bile and phlegm) in terms of gene polymorphism, pre-thrombotic state and oxidative stress [13,14,15]. Is “abnormal black bile” an existing phenomenon with distinct biological basis or merely imaginary philosophical concept that causes Depression? We undertook this investigation to answer this question
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