Association of OXTR polymorphism (rs53576) with depression: a meta-analysis

BackgroundDepression is a common psychiatric disorder that negatively affects mood and thoughts. Association studies of OXTR polymorphisms with depression have been performed repeatedly. However, the results of these studies were inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to perform a meta-analysis of case-control studies that have investigated the relationship between the OXTR polymorphism (rs53576) and depression risk.MethodsFour databases, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, and Google Scholar, were searched, and a total of 10 studies were involved in the meta-analysis. ReviewManager (RevMan) 5.4 software was used to perform a meta-analysis of the eligible studies.ResultsA significant association between OXTR rs53576 and depression was found in the recessive model (Odds Ratio (OR) AA vs. AG + GG = 1.28, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [1.02-1.59], P = 0.03), while there was no association with the other two genetic models (dominant model: OR AA + AG vs. GG = 1.01, 95% CI [0.87-1.18], P = 0.87; allelic model: OR A vs. G = 0.95, 95% CI [0.83-1.09], P = 0.46). A significant association was observed in the Caucasian populations (OR 1.29, 95% CI [1.01, 1.64], P = 0.04), while the Asian populations showed no significant association (OR 1.22, 95% CI [0.71, 2.09], P = 0.48).ConclusionsThis meta-analysis is to date the first to provide a comprehensive investigation of the association of the OXTR rs53576 polymorphism with depression, and its results reflect the data currently available from the literature and can serve as a guide for further research.