Study On The Relationship Between Leukocy Telomere Length Of Heroin Or Methmphetamine Addicts,Duration Of Drug Abuse,and TCM Syndrome Elements

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length and TCM syndrome elements in heroin and methamphetamine addicts, thus exploring effects of heroin and methamphetamine on human health and its TCM internal mechanism at the gene level.Methods:All of the study participants are Han Chinese between the ages of 20 and 49, the experimental group have 342 cases of drug addicts, including 206 heroin cases (129 males and 77 females),136 methamphetamine users (80 males and 56 females), who recruited from 2012 to 2014 in Fuzhou City Public Security compulsory detoxification center and the Department of Justice Drug Administration under the jurisdiction of the compulsory detoxification. The control group is recruited from 200 healthy volunteers (115 males and 85 females) from the Physical Examination Centre of the Second People’s Hospital of Fujian Province. Standard diagnostic information are collected and the method of syndrome element differentiation was used in extracting features of TCM syndrome elements, and QPCR based techniques used to test peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length.Result:1. Healthy group, heroin group and methamphetamine group are aged 20 from 49, and the three groups of age and gender distribution have no difference (.P>0.05). There is a significant negative correlation in leukocyte telomere length with age and gender for all participants (P<0.05); heroin and methamphetamine group of telomere length are shorter than that in the healthy group after correcting for age and gender (P<0.05).2. After adjusting the age and sex, heroin and methamphetamine group have no difference of telomere length (P>0.05); telomere length and duration of drug have no significant correlation in two groups (P>0.05); the drug length of telomere length have no significant difference among groups (P>0.05).3.TCM syndrome element distribution is roughly the same in heroin and methamphetamine addict, disease is mainly distributed in the liver, spleen and kidney, liver is most common; the most common excess syndrome is Qi stagnation; the most common deficiency syndrome is Qi-deficiency.4. After adjusting the age and sex, observe changes in telomere length and TCM syndrome elements. It is found that there is no significant difference in telomere length between heroin group and healthy group in the formation of each syndrome element(P>0.05); there is significant difference (P<0.05) in telomere length among the formation of liver, wet and heat syndrome between methamphetamine group and healthy group, adjusted group is more shorter than that in the healthy group.5. Heroin group has significant difference in the telomere length between aged 20-29 and 30-39 when their drug use for 4-12 years, (P<0.01), and the telomere length of 30-39 years old is shorter than that of 20-29 years old; the Syndrome Element of liver, spleen, kidney, qi stagnation, dampness, phlegm, Qi deficiency, Yang deficiency and blood deficiency, etc. has significant difference in telomere length between aged 20-29 and 30-39 (P<0.05).Conclusion:1. Heroin or methamphetamine addicts will cause telomere damage in peripheral white blood cells and will make telomere length short.2. Heroin or methamphetamine can cause organs dysfunction and injury of Qi and location of disease is mainly in liver, kidney, spleen, especially the liver function disorder is the most obvious; Qi stagnation and Qi deficiency are the most prominent characteristics of disease leading to the heroin and methamphetamine addict.3. Heroin addicts in years of drug use for 4-12 years, aged 20-39 years old, the change of telomere length have certain relationship with age, that is to say, telomere length can be decreased with the increasing of age, and there is certain relationship with the formation of syndrome element in liver, spleen, kidney, qi stagnation, dampness, phlegm, Qi deficiency, Yang deficiency and blood deficiency, etc.4. The shortened of methamphetamine addicts’telomere length is related to the formation of liver, wet and heat syndrome.