ALLELIC VARIANTS OF MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE TIPES 1 AND 3 GENES IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN SUFFERING FROM RECURRENT RESPIRATORY

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have numerous physiological and pathological effects. In particular, they are involved in extracellular matrix degradation and remodeling, cell differentiation and apoptosis, immune and inflammatory mechanisms, embryogenesis, etc. Aim. To determine the state of interdependence between the allelic variants of the genes MMP-1-1607 (1G/2G) and MMP-3-1171 (5A/6A), on the one hand, and the different frequency of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in preschool children, on the other hand. Materials and methods. A total of 33 children (15 boys and 18 girls), aged 1-6 years, undergoing inpatient treatment for ARI were included in the clinical trial. The number of ARI episodes during the previous year of life was regarded. The distribution of allelic variants was also studied, specifically: 1) 1G/2G of the MMP-1 gene at position 1607 (rs 1799750) and 2) 5A/6A of the MMP-3 gene at position 1171 (rs 35068180). Statistical processing of the obtained digital data was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 28 licensed software (No. 3922/01/2021). Results. The association between preschool children belonging to the subgroup with more frequent ARI episodes and the 2G/2G genotype for the rs 1799750 polymorphism locus of the MMP-1-1607 gene was demonstrated (OR=7.778; p1=0.008; p2=0.025; CI: 1.561 - 38.756). On the contrary, the 1G/2G genotype was significantly more frequent in patients forming a subgroup with fewer ARI episodes (OR=0.127; p1=0.014; p2=0.039; CI: 0.022 - 0.739). Furthermore, the 1G allele was more frequent in children with fewer ARI episodes, and the 2G allele was more frequent in those with a greater number of such episodes in their history (OR=2.778; p1=0.044; p2=0.080; CI: 1.016 - 7.639). At the same time, there was no association between alleles 5A and 6A and their corresponding genotypes, determined for the rs 35068180 polymorphism locus of the MMP-3 gene at position 1171, and subgroups of children with less frequent and more frequent ARI episodes. Conclusions. The results obtained suggest a significant dependence of the frequency of ARI episodes in preschool children on the studied genotypes (2G/2G and 1G/2G) of the MMP-1 gene (rs 1799750). They should be considered in predicting whether such children are at risk for recurrent course of ARI. The study was conducted within the framework of the initiative research work of the Department of Pediatrics with Childhood Infections of Luhansk State Medical University (Rubizhne, Ukraine) - "Current aspects of the influence of perinatal factors on the development of somatic pathology in children aged 1-14 years" (2017-2021, state registration number 0117U003041). No external funding was received for this study. The study was conducted in accordance with the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committees of Bogomolets National Medical University and Luhansk State Medical University. Informed parental consent was obtained for the study in children. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.