ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene Bsm I, Fok I, Taq I and Apa I polymorphisms on the response to antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). METHODS: There were total 124 patients with CHC treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. VDR gene Bsm I, Fok I Taq I and Apa I polymorphisms were analyzed in 71 patients with sustained virological response (SVR) and 53 patients without SVR (non-SVR) by polymerase chain reaction-MassARRAY (PCR-MassARRAY). RESULTS: The distributions of VDR genotype met Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (all P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in VDR Fok I, Taq I, Apa I allele and genotype frequencies between SVR and non-SVR patients (all P > 0.05). The Bsm I (GA) genotype was significant higher in the patients with SVR compared to those with non-SVR (Χ2 = 3.967, P = 0.046). Three SNPs at VDR gene (Bsm I, Taq I and Apa I) were in strong linkage disequilibrium. Linkage disequilibrium coefficient (D') between Bsm I and Taq I was 1.000 and the correlation coefficient (r2) was 0.741. D' between Bsm I and Apa I was 1.000 and r2 was 0.082. D' between Taq I and Apa I was 0.829 and r2 was 0.076. No relation existed between haplotypes and response to therapy (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D receptor gene Bsm I polymorphism may be associated with the therapeutic response to antiviral therapy with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C patients.
