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MTHFR C677T polymorphism in chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma
Author(s) -
Nisevic Ivan,
Dinic Jelena,
Nikolic Aleksandra,
Djordjevic Valentina,
Lukic Snezana,
Ugljesic Milenko,
AndjelicJelic Marina,
PetrovicStanojevic Natasa,
Radojkovic Dragica
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
cell biochemistry and function
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1099-0844
pISSN - 0263-6484
DOI - 10.1002/cbf.1487
Subject(s) - methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase , pancreatitis , gastroenterology , genotype , medicine , adenocarcinoma , pancreatic disease , allele frequency , pancreatic cancer , allele , restriction fragment length polymorphism , biology , pancreas , genetics , gene , cancer
Chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma are extensively studied as common and potentially lethal disorders. However, their causes and genetic background in most cases remain unclear. The C677T polymorphism in 5′,10′‐methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene may modulate the risk of pancreatic disorders. In this study, we tested whether MTHFR C677T polymorphism is associated with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the Serbian population. DNA was extracted from blood samples of 51 chronic pancreatitis patients, 21 pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients, and a control group consisting of 50 healthy smokers. The MTHFR C677T polymorphism was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) technique. Although, no statistically significant differences were observed in the distribution of MTHFR genotype or allele frequencies between patients and control groups, the results showed an increased frequency of homozygotes for MTHFR C677T polymorphism in chronic pancreatitis patients (14%) and a decreased frequency in pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients (5%) in comparison to the control group (8%). We speculate that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism could act as a possible risk factor for chronic pancreatitis and a possible protective factor in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This observation needs further investigation in prospective studies on a larger number of patients, in which the effect of other genetic and environmental factors should also be taken into consideration. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.