Association of genome DNA methylation with pathogenesis of chronic urticaria

Abstract

Objective To explore the association of genome methylation with the pathogenesis of chronic urticaria by detecting genome methylation level of chronic idiopathic urticaria and autoimmune urticaria. Methods 45 patients with chronic urticaria were divided into chronic idiopathic urticaria group and autoimmune urticaria group using ASST method. Serum TgAb, TPOAb, ANA, SAM, and SAH were detected. Results The positive rate of ASST was 46.7% in patients with chronic urticaria, as compared with 0% in control group. There was a statistical significance between the two groups. The positive rates of TgAb, TPOAb, and ANA were 23.80%, 14.29%, and 14.29% in autoimmune urticaria group, 4.16%, 4.16%, and 0 in chronic idiopathic urticaria group, and 5%, 0%, and 0% in the control group. TgAb differed significantly between autoimmune urticaria group and the other two groups, but not between chronic idiopathic urticaria group and the control group. TPOAb and ANA did not differ statistically between the two groups. SAM, SAH, and SAM/SAH did not differ significantly. Conclusions Autoimmune urticaria accounts for 46.7% in patients with chronic urticaria. TGAb is significantly higher in autoimmune urticaria patients than in those with chronic idiopathic urticaria. Further research should be done to confirm whether TGAb can be a kind of valuable clinical detection index of autoimmune urticaria. There is no statistical significance in SAM, SAH, and SAM/SAH between the two groups, which is likely to suggest that methylation is not involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune urticaria. But this conclusion needs to be confirmed by bigger samples. Key words: Urticaria; DNA methylation; S-adenosylmethionine; S-adenosylhomosysteine