MMP-2 (rs2285053) and MMP-9 (rs3918242) Gene Polymorphisms Exhibit Protective Effect Against Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a persistent polyarthritis with unknown aetiology. The articular structures are destroyed by locally produced degradative enzymes, including aggrecanases, serine proteases and metalloproteinases, that break down the extracellular matrix (ECM). The expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 occurs mostly in synovial fibroblast and articular cartilage degeneration in RA is influenced by these MMPs. MMP-2 plays an important role in the removal of recruited immune cells, which is essential for reducing inflammatory responses. On the other hand, MMP-9 regulates the invasion and survival of synovial fibroblast cells. Material and Method: QIAmp DNA blood mini kit (Qiagen) was used to isolate the genomic DNA. PCR-RFLP method was followed for genotyping MMP-2-735 C/T and MMP-9-1562 C/T gene polymorphisms. GraphPad Prism (version 8.0.2) and SPSS (version 27.0) were used for data analysis. Results: Genotyping analysis revealed significant association between MMP-2 735C/T (rs2285053) gene variant and protection against RA under allele (C vs. T: OR: 0.304; 95% CI: 0.145–0.634; P = .001); codominant (CC vs. CT: OR: 0.199; 95% CI: 0.081–0.490; P = .0001) and dominant (CC vs. CT + TT: OR: 0.024; 95% CI: 0.085–0.489; P = .0001) inheritance models. Further, MMP-9-1562 C/T (rs3918242) variant was also found to be associated with protection against RA under codominant (CC vs. CT: OR: 0.361; 95% CI: 0.156–0.838; P = .016) and dominant (CC vs. CT + TT: OR: 0.389; 95% CI: 0.170–0.892; P = .024) inheritance models. Conclusion: The finding of this preliminary study suggests the protective effect of MMP-2 735C/T (rs2285053) and MMP-9-1562 C/T (rs3918242) gene variants against RA in our study population.