Analysis of the Correlation between SLC6A4 rs1042173 Gene Polymorphisms and the Effect of Sufentanil Epidural Labor Analgesia in Pregnant Women

Sufentanil exhibits potent analgesic efficacy with a prolonged duration of action, making it a frequently utilized agent for labor analgesia. This study aimed to investigate the association between SLC6A4 rs1042173 polymorphisms and the efficacy of sufentanil epidural analgesia during labor in primiparous women. This study enrolled 288 full-term primiparas eligible for vaginal delivery. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was utilized to detect the SLC6A4 rs1042173 polymorphism. The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test was conducted to assess the representativeness of the samples relative to the population. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between the SLC6A4 rs1042173 polymorphism and labor analgesia, as well as to identify independent influencing factors. The pharmacokinetics of sufentanil in pregnant women were significantly influenced by the SLC6A4 rs1042173 polymorphism. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) indicated that the SLC6A4 rs1042173 genotype significantly influenced the analgesic response patterns in pregnant women. In the early stages of drug action, the TT and TG genotypes exhibited higher sensitivity (P < 0.001). Regarding specific adverse reactions, significant differences were noted in the incidences of nausea, urinary retention, and abnormal fetal heart rate monitoring among pregnant women with different genotypes (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed significant correlations between the rs1042173 polymorphism and both the VAS score at 2 hours (P = 0.014) post-administration and the Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, Respiration (Apgar) scores at 1 minute (P < 0.001) of newborns. SLC6A4 rs1042173 gene polymorphisms were significantly associated with the analgesic efficacy of sufentanil epidural anesthesia in primiparas.