The Contribution of MMP-9 Genotypes to Pterygium in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND/AIM The studies about the roles of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in pterygium diagnosis and/or prognosis are mainly based on their mRNA and protein levels, while the genomic roles of MMPs are seldom examined. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of MMP-9 genotypes to pterygium risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS MMP-9 rs3918242 was genotyped in 134 pterygium cases and 268 controls via polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS The rs3918242 genotype percentages of CC, CT, and TT were 73.1, 25.4 and 1.5% among cases and 74.6, 23.1 and 2.3% among controls (p trend=0.7928). The odds ratios after adjusting for age and gender for CT and TT genotypes at rs3918242 were 1.08 and 0.92 (95%CI=0.66-1.73 and 0.45-2.89, p=0.6478 and 0.6389), respectively. In addition, allelic frequency analysis showed no significant difference in the distribution of allelic frequencies between the pterygium and control groups. CONCLUSION The genotypes at MMP-9 rs3918242 play a minor role in determining personal susceptibility to pterygium.