Evaluation of the Potential Association Between Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Gene Q63R Polymorphism (Rs35761398) and Risk of RDS Development in Preterm Neonates

Abstract

Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a major acute postnatal pulmonary disease that influences mostly preterm neonates. Recently, the polymorphism of immunomodulatory genes has been suggested to be associated with RDS development. Objectives: We aimed at investigating the association of CNR2 gene Q63R polymorphism with the development of RDS. Methods: In this multicenter case series study, we enrolled 300 preterm newborns. The RDS was diagnosed based on the clinical and radiographic findings. The polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primer method was used for genotyping. Results: 140 neonates out of 300 were diagnosed with RDS. The overall frequency of the QQ, QR, and RR genotypes of rs35761398 was 23.7%, 50.7%, and 25.6%, respectively. In the present study, the differences in birth weight, birth height, gestational age (GA), and the severity of respiratory distress were statistically significant between the two groups. We found no statistically significant differences in either allele (P = 0.624) or genotype (P = 0.461) distributions between the RDS patients and the healthy group. Conclusions: Gestational age of < 28 weeks has the highest impact on predisposition to RDS. No association was found between rs35761398 and RDS in a group of Iranian preterm infants.