Osteoprotegerin gene polymorphisms in postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis

Aim – to investigate the associations of rs3134069, rs4355801 and rs3102735 polymorphisms in the TNFRSF11B gene with knee osteoarthritis in postmenopausal women. Material and methods. 483 postmenopausal women were examined, including 157 patients with knee osteoarthritis. The remaining 326 women had no signs of joint disease and formed the control group. All examined women were tested using real-time polymerase chain reaction for single nucleotide polymorphisms rs3134069, rs4355801 and rs3102735 in the TNFRSF11B gene. Results. It was found that genotypes distribution of polymorphisms rs3134069, rs4355801 and rs3102735 in the TNFRSF11B gene in the total group of examined women (n = 483) corresponded to the Hardy – Weinberg law (p 0.05). The analysis of the polymorphic variants’ frequency in the TNFRSF11B gene revealed an increased frequency of AC or CC genotypes of rs3134069 polymorphism in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.10–3.32; p = 0.030). Also, the allele C frequency of the above-mentioned polymorphism was increased among patients with osteoarthritis (OR = 1.78; 95% CI: 1.06–2.99; p = 0.040). No association with knee osteoarthritis was found for two other studied polymorphisms in the TNFRSF11B gene – rs4355801 and rs3102735 (p 0.05). Conclusion. The increased frequency of genotypes AC or CC registration, as well as allele C of rs3134069 polymorphism in the TNFRSF11B gene in postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis indicates the important role of TNFRSF11B gene mutations in the osteoarthritis development and progression. Further research in this area is of great interest both for a deeper understanding of the disease pathogenesis and for the development of personalized approach in the prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis in postmenopausal women.