Association Study of MMP-9 −1562C/T Gene Polymorphism with Susceptibility to Multiple Autoimmune Diseases: A Meta-analysis

Abstract

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) -1562C/T gene polymorphism has been identified as a susceptible gene for multiple autoimmune diseases (ADs), but studies are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to assess the overall association between MMP-9 gene polymorphism and multiple ADs using a meta-analysis. Databases of Pubmed, Embase and Web of Science updated to March 1, 2016 were retrieved. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) as effect size were calculated by fixed-effect or random-effect model on the basis of heterogeneity. A total of 12 relevant studies containing 2,034 cases and 1,861 controls were included in this meta-analysis. A significant association between MMP-9 -1562T allele and AD susceptibility was found in the overall population (OR=1.269, 95% CI=1.114-1.444, p <0.001) and the Caucasian populations (OR=1.222, 95% CI=1.051-1.422, p=0.009), but not in the Asian populations (OR=1.337, 95% CI=0.989-0.808, p=0.059). Stratified by disease type, we detected a significant association in other ADs (OR=1.501, 95% CI=1.212-1.859, p <0.001), but not in patients with multiple sclerosis (OR=1.150, 95% CI=0.977-1.354, p=0.092). No publication bias was detected in the current meta-analysis. Data from the present study suggest that the MMP-9 -1562C/T polymorphism may be associated with multiple AD susceptibility, especially in the Caucasian populations and other ADs. Further epidemiological studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm these findings.