Impact of Cyclooxygenase-2 Polymorphism -765G>C (rs20417) on the Development of Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

Background: Ulcerative Colitis is chronic, progressive disease affecting large intestine. Cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme is an inducible enzyme that has important role in the process of inflammation. Ulcerative Colitis pathogenesis is comprising chronic inflammation; any alteration in the gene responsible for cuclooxygenase-2 expression such as -765G>C (rs20417) polymorphism may affect risk of having the disease. Objectives: To record and evaluate the prevalence of -765G>C (rs20417) polymorphism in group of Ulcerative Colitis Iraqi patients and correlation it with disease clinical severity. Method: A case-control, single-center study included ninety participants collected from Gastroenterology and Hepatology Hospital/Basrah/Iraq, divided in to 30 newly diagnosed patients, 30 previously diagnosed patients and 30 healthy controls. Genetic analysis done through dual color discrimination assay. Results: To our knowledge the present study is the first report in Iraqi population that investigates the correlation between COX-2 polymorphism, rs20417 with risk of developing UC. The prevalence of the -765G and -765C alleles was 85.8% and 14.1% in the patient group and 86.6% and 13.3% in the control group respectively, the -765CC variant in Basrah city was infrequent in population of UC patients (14.1%) and in controls (13.3%). There was no statistical difference in the disease association and in the relationship to the disease severity but GG genotypes showed more sever clinical disease than those with other variants. Conclusion:In disparity to other reports on the role of COX-2 polymorphisms at position -765 in the term of modifying the risk for UC in a group of Arab Iraqi patients, we did not find significant results for this variation's association but in term of association with the level of disease clinical severity, carriers of GG wild type had more active clinical disease than those with mutant variants.