Tumour necrosis factor-alpha gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to oral lichen planus

Abstract

Objective: This study is aimed to investigate the association between OLP susceptibility and clinical type in the Thai population and three polymorphisms within the promoter region of the TNF-α at positions -863, -308 and -238 which have putative functional significances. Materials and Methods: Genomic DNA from 75 Thai patients with OLP and 154 healthy controls were genotyped for TNF-α polymorphisms - -863(rs1800630), -308(rs1800629), and -238(rs361525) - using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: We found a higher proportion of TNF-alpha-308 AA genotype (high producer genotype) among OLP patients (5/75; 6.67%) when compared to healthy controls (1/154; 0.65%; OR=10.93; 95% CI=1.21-251.9). For other polymorphisms (-863 and -238), we did not find any significant association with OLP development; this was also the case with haplotype analysis (-863/-308/-238). Conclusion: TNF-α-308AA may play a relevant role in the susceptibility and severity of OLP in the Thai population. However, further investigation of this study is needed. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.