Evaluation of the association between TNF-α-1031 T/C polymorphism with oral lichen planus disease

Abstract

Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease that affects the epithelial cells of the oral cavity. This study was performed to investigate any possible relationship between - 1031(T/C) polymorphism (rs1799964) of the tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) gene with the risk and severity of oral lichen planus (OLP) disease among an Iranian population.

Method: Saliva samples were collected from 100 patients with OLP and a similar number of healthy controls (age and sex-matched). Then, DNA was extracted from the collected samples for genotyping TNF-α-1031 T/C polymorphism using the PCR-CTPP method. The results were assessed using SPSS software.

Results: The findings revealed a significantly higher prevalence of the C allele in OLP patients (53%) compared to healthy controls (36%), suggesting an association between TNF-alpha gene polymorphism and OLP. A multivariate logistic regression analysis supported this finding, as the presence of the C allele was significantly associated with an increased risk of OLP [χ2 = 4.17, p = 0.04, 95% CI = 1.01-2.65, OR = 1.64]. However, our data indicated no significant association between TNF-alpha-1031 T/C gene polymorphism and OLP severity.

Conclusions: These findings provide the first evidence supporting a possible role of TNF-α-1031 T/C gene polymorphism in OLP susceptibility in the Iranian population. The findings of this study demonstrate a positive association between TNF-α-1031 C/T allele distribution and the risk of OLP disease in the Iranian population. Therefore, carrying the C allele may increase the susceptibility to OLP disease.

Keywords: Genetic polymorphism; Oral lichen planus; PCR-CTPP; SNP; Tumor necrosis factor-α.

Fig. 1

Electrophoresis pattern of PCR-CTPP products for TNF-α-1031 T/C genotypes. Lanes 1, 3, 5, and 8: sample with T/T genotype; Lanes 2 and 9: sample with C/C genotype; Lanes 4, 7, and 10: sample with T/C genotype. Lane 6 DNA size marker (50 bp). (See full, un-cropped version of this image on supplementary Figure S1)