Association of MMP but not TIMP-1 gene polymorphisms with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Objectives Recurrent aphthous stomatitis ( RAS) is a common oral inflammatory disease induced by genetic and environmental factors. Gelatinases ( MMP-2 and MMP-9) and their natural inhibitor TIMP-1 are active players in the inflammatory process. We aimed to determine whether inheritance of specific MMP-2, MMP-9, or TIMP-1 gene polymorphisms is associated with RAS susceptibility. Subjects and methods Ninety-six RAS patients and 153 healthy controls were studied. Five polymorphisms were genotyped: rs17576, rs3918242, and rs11697325 in MMP-9, MMP-2 rs2285053, and TIMP-1 rs6609533. Association was assessed by logistic regression analysis after adjustment for confounding factors. Linkage disequilibrium ( LD) was assessed using the Haploview program. Results MMP-9 rs11697325 was significantly associated with RAS, with an increase in the AA genotype in patients, determined using χ² analysis ( OR = 2.3, P = 0.006) and adjusted regression analysis ( OR = 3.1, P = 0.009). MMP-9 rs11697325 and rs17576 showed strong LD ( D' = 0.95), with an increase in the AA haplotype ( P = 0.023) and a decrease in the GA haplotype ( P = 0.015) in patients. Conclusions This is the first study to investigate the association of MMPs or TIMP-1 with RAS. We found a significant association between MMP-9 rs11697325 polymorphisms and RAS. Confirmatory studies in other populations and functional investigations are needed to determine the role of these genes in RAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]