Nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms in children with primary nocturnal enuresis: a preliminary study

Abstract

Aims: Recent studies demonstrated some differences in urinary electrolytes of enuretic children. Intrarenal nitric oxide (NO) serves as a major regulator of renal sodium and water excretion like an endogenous diuretic. This study aimed to investigate endothelial (eNOS), and neuronal (nNOS) NO synthase gene polymorphisms in children with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE).

Materials and methods: The eNOS gene polymorphism was investigated in 171 Turkish children (57 PNE cases and 114 healthy, non-enuretic controls), and nNOS gene polymorphism was determined in 158 Turkish children (83 PNE cases and 75 healthy, non-enuretic controls). The glu298asp (G/T) polymorphism of the eNOS and C276T (C/T) polymorphism of nNOS genes were genotyped using PCR.

Results: The distribution of GG, TG, and TT genotypes for eNOS gene was 48%, 33%, and 19% in PNE, compared with 61%, 26%, and 13% in the controls (p > 0.05). The distribution of CC, TC, TT and genotypes for nNOS gene was 31%, 29%, and 40% in PNE compared with 10%, 43%, and 47% in the controls. CC genotype was found higher in enuretic children (p = 0.002). The eNOS and nNOS gene polymorphisms were not associated with positive family history, frequency of enuresis, and clinical response to desmopressin.

Conclusions: This study is the first to search the NOS gene polymorphisms in children with PNE. It was determined that eNOS gene polymorphism may not be associated with PNE, while nNOS gene polymorphism, a predominantly CC genotype, may be associated with PNE in Turkish children. Further studies with larger samples together with the detection of enuresis gene may help determine the exact role of nNOS gene polymorphism in enuresis.