Assessing the association between ADH5 and ALDH1A1 genetic variants and substance use disorder risk in a Jordanian male population.

Background: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a severe global problem that is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. The genetic etiology of addiction can be complex and overlapping. This study aimed to investigate the association between two genes, ADH5 and ALDH1A1, and drug addiction in Jordanian males.

Methods: This study included 496 addicted patients and 496 healthy controls of Arab descent. The addicted participants were identified as Jordanian males with dependence on substances such as amphetamines, synthetic cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, alcohol, opiates, cocaine, and multiple substances. The participants' DNA was extracted, and 20 selected SNPs within ADH5 and ALDH1A1 were genotyped using the MassARRAY™ system. The statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS.

Results: The study investigated associations between 20 variants within the ADH5 and ALDH1A1 genes and substance use disorder in Jordanian males. No statistically significant association was observed between individual polymorphisms and addiction (P > 0.05). However, the haplotypes CCGTTTTGTTTGG and CCCTTGTGTTCGG within the ALDH1A1 gene were significantly associated with an increased risk of addiction, with P-values of 0.0022 and 0.049 and odds ratios (OR) of 2.34 and 1.91, respectively.

Conclusion: This study did not find a significant association between ADH5 and ALDH1A1 gene polymorphisms with addiction in Jordanian males. The authors suggest replicating this type of study with larger sample sizes and more variants in the same or different genes to confirm their findings.