Abstract
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is involved in the homocysteine metabolism. Two common variants of MTHFR gene (677C>T and 1298A>C), have been reported to reduce the MTHFR enzyme activity and leading to plasma hyperhomocysteinemia. There are a number of recent case-control studies that investigated the association between the MTHFR polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy (DN), albeit with inconsistent results. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the associations between the genetic polymorphisms of MTHFR with susceptibility to DN. A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Embase and Google scholar from inception till March 18, 2019. For MTHFR 677C>T analysis, a total of 23 studies including DM controls (3095 cases and 3187 DM controls) and 12 studies including non-DM controls (1590 cases and 2052 nonDM controls) were taken. For MTHFR 1298A>C analysis, a total of 7 studies using DM controls (959 cases and 1209 DM controls) and 3 studies using non-DM controls (400 cases and 802 nonDM controls) were taken. Meta-analysis showed that mutant genotypes of the 677C>T (OR: 1.58; 95%CI: 1.16-2.14) and 1298A>C (OR: 1.38; 95%CI: 1.16-1.65) polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene were associated with increased risk of DN (diabetic kidney disease). MTHFR 677C>T and 1298A>C polymorphisms revealed significant heterogeneity between studies. Further, there was no evidence for publication bias for these polymorphisms. In conclusion, this meta-analysis provides strong evidence that MTHFR 677C>T and 1298A>C polymorphisms may be associated with increased risks of DN. However, further studies are still needed to accurately determine whether MTHFR genetic polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to DN.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have