Background/Aims: Opioid dependence is a severe disease which is associated with a high risk of relapse, even in cases of successful withdrawal therapy. Studies have shown alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in opioid-dependent patients, such as decreased testosterone serum levels in affected males. Sex hormones and the steroid 5-alpha-reductase 2 (SRD5A2) V89L polymorphism are associated with craving during alcohol withdrawal, but little is known about their impact on symptomatology of opioid dependence. Methods: In this study, we analyzed 2 independent male cohorts of opioid-dependent patients for possible alterations in testosterone serum levels compared to non-opioid-dependent controls. In one of the cohorts, we additionally investigated associations of testosterone serum levels and 3 SRD5A2 polymorphisms with symptoms of opioid dependence, measured by the Heroin Craving Questionnaire (HCQ). Results: In the patient groups, we found significantly decreased testosterone serum levels compared to the control groups. Furthermore, we found significant associations of both the testosterone serum levels and the SRD5A2 V89L polymorphism with opioid craving assessed by the HCQ. Conclusion: Our data show a possible role of testosterone metabolism in opioid dependence, which may be relevant for the establishment of future treatment strategies.
Neuropsychobiology

中文翻译：

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睾酮水平和类固醇 5-α-还原酶 2 多态性与阿片类药物渴望的关联。

背景/目的：阿片类药物依赖是一种严重的疾病，即使在成功戒断治疗的情况下，也具有很高的复发风险。研究表明，阿片类药物依赖患者的下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴会发生改变，例如受影响男性的血清睾酮水平降低。性激素和类固醇 5-α-还原酶 2 (SRD5A2) V89L 多态性与戒酒期间的渴望有关，但对它们对阿片类药物依赖症状的影响知之甚少。方法：在这项研究中，我们分析了 2 个独立的阿片类药物依赖患者的男性队列，与非阿片类药物依赖的对照相比，睾酮血清水平可能发生了变化。在其中一个队列中，我们还研究了睾酮血清水平和 3 个 SRD5A2 多态性与阿片类药物依赖症状的关联，由海洛因渴望问卷 (HCQ) 测量。结果：在患者组中，我们发现与对照组相比，血清睾酮水平显着降低。此外，我们发现睾酮血清水平和 SRD5A2 V89L 多态性与 HCQ 评估的阿片类药物渴望之间存在显着关联。结论：我们的数据显示了睾酮代谢在阿片类药物依赖中的可能作用，这可能与制定未来的治疗策略有关。
神经心理生物学