Association between MMP-2 rs243866 polymorphism with susceptibility to gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the most important risk factors for gastritis.Gastric mucosa damage due to inflammation is associated with destruction of the extracellular matrix.Gastric epithelial cells infected with Helicobacter pylori stimulate the production of MMP-2.The occurrence of polymorphisms in the MMP-2 promoter affects its expression levels.The aim of this study was to investigate the association between rs2285053 and rs243866 polymorphisms in the MMP-2 promoter with gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection.Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 103 patients with gastritis with Helicobacter pylori infection and 116 healthy individuals as a control group.After genomic DNA extraction from the tissue, the genotypic frequency was determined by PCR-RFLP method.Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 26) with a significance level less than 0.05. Results:The frequency of the AA genotype in patients was significantly higher than in the control group.a statistically significant difference was observed in the frequency of the AA genotype (χ2=12.16,95%CI=1.48-71,OR=2.64,P=0.0002) and the allele A (χ2=17.58, 95%CI=1.27-34.1,OR=1.74,P=0.0004) at the rs243866 between the two studied groups.Conclusion: The results showed that the AA genotype increases the likelihood of developing gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection.However, further studies with a larger sample size and examining other functional polymorphisms of the MMP-2 gene seem necessary.