Exploring the Contribution of Interleukin-12A Genetic Polymorphisms to Pterygium Risk

<h3>Background/Aim:</h3> Pterygium is a common ocular surface disorder with multifactorial etiology involving environmental exposure and immune dysregulation. Interleukin-12 (IL-12), a key immunomodulatory cytokine, has been implicated in inflammation and tumor-related processes, yet its genetic contribution to pterygium remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between <i>IL-12A</i> polymorphisms and pterygium susceptibility. <h3>Materials and Methods:</h3> A hospital-based case-control study was conducted, including 160 pterygium patients and 320 age- and sex-matched controls. Genotyping of <i>IL-12A</i> rs568408 and rs2243115 was performed via restriction fragment length polymorphism methods. <h3>Results:</h3> Both polymorphisms were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium among controls (<i>p</i>=0.2165 and <i>p</i>=0.5533). No significant differences in genotype distributions were observed between cases and controls for rs568408 (<i>p</i> for trend=0.5727) or rs2243115 (<i>p</i> for trend=0.5471). The rs568408 AG and AA genotypes showed non-significant associations with pterygium risk (OR=1.14, 95%CI=0.72-1.78, <i>p</i>=0.6603; OR=1.63, 95% CI=0.59-4.49, <i>p</i>=0.4950). Similarly, allelic analyses revealed no significant associations (as for rs568408, OR=1.21, 95%CI=0.84-1.76, <i>p</i>=0.3527; as for rs2243115, OR=1.27, 95%CI=0.81-2.01, <i>p</i>=0.3581). <h3>Conclusion:</h3> Despite the tumor-like and inflammatory characteristics of pterygium, <i>IL-12A</i> polymorphisms were not significantly associated with disease susceptibility. However, IL-12-mediated immune pathways may still contribute to disease pathogenesis through functional regulation rather than genetic variation. Further large-scale and mechanistic studies are warranted.